


Be Kind

by juhele



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Anxiety, Anxiety Attacks, Book 4: Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, Book 5: Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix, Book 6: Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince, Cedric has an nde, F/M, Fluff, Friends to Lovers, Friendship, Harry Is Confused a Lot, Harry is bi, M/M, Mental Health Issues, Near Death Experience, Panic Attacks, Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder - PTSD, Slow Burn, but is oblivious, cedric is kind, cedric will live in this one just so you know, harry is overthinking, harry thinks a lot, i can't think of a name for this so sorry it's lame, i will add tags, i'm not going to update often probably, ron is bi too but doesn't realise, sirius and remus are his parents now, very slow burn
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-01-06
Updated: 2021-02-15
Packaged: 2021-02-27 13:55:12
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 26
Words: 165,922
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22138168
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/juhele/pseuds/juhele
Summary: Harry is in his thoughts a lot of the time not paying attention to his surroundings. He's hoping to have a calm year but that would be a lot to ask for. He is fourteen and should be thinking about other things than people trying to kill him, right? But he's not very good at thinking about other things.Basically a slow burn Harry/Cedric. Harry is in a constant crisis as every bi is and needs a hug. And Cedric is a very kind gentle boy who deserves a lot of love.Updates are now taking longer than usual as I am very busy with uni.
Relationships: (slight) Cho Chang/Cedric Diggory, (slight) Hermione Granger/Viktor Krum, Cedric Diggory/Harry Potter, Hermione Granger/Ron Weasley, Sirius Black/Remus Lupin
Comments: 253
Kudos: 815





	1. Everyone talks, no one listens

**Author's Note:**

> So there wasn't a lot of Harry/Cedric and I read all that there was so I decided to try and write something and it went a bit over my head. I'm hoping to update this often but can't promise any regular updates because I know myself. But if people like this pairing and this story I will try and write often :).  
> Also English is my second language so there may be mistakes but I tried.  
> Also, I don't own anything (literally I have nothing in my life). Particularly don't own any HP but that's obvious.

Harry didn’t know why he did it. It seemed natural. There was nothing odd about it. But he didn’t know why he did it. He didn’t know why his brain described Cedric Diggory as an extremely handsome boy. None of the boys he knew would describe him like that. Not out loud at least. But it was true, wasn’t it? Why even think about it? That’s right, there’s nothing about it, he can think about everyone the way he wants. Hermione was his friend and he thought she was pretty, or Ron wasn’t bad looking either, the combination of ginger and freckles, that all the Weasleys possessed, was in fact quite cute when Harry thought about it. Even Draco Malfoy would be good looking if he didn’t sneer so much and wasn’t such a git. So yes, Harry decided, he can describe Cedric Diggory as an extremely handsome boy and it’s okay. Of course, he is not going to say it out loud. That would be weird.

Harry was so deep in his thoughts that he didn’t almost register Amos Diggory talking about Cedric beating Harry in Quidditch. Cedric looked very embarrassed at that.

“Harry fell off his broom, Dad,” he muttered. “I told you ... it was an accident ...”

Harry looked at Cedric and smiled at him shyly while Amos Diggory kept talking. Cedric also sent Harry a small smile. And then they were gathered by the portkey and were instantly gone. They said goodbye to the Diggorys at the camp and then Harry had completely different worries.

...

Harry was certainly glad to be at Hogwarts again. How come that every time his life gives him something nice to enjoy, it also gives him a massive amount of troubles? To say that Harry wasn’t worried after the Quidditch World Cup would be a lie. Harry was extremely worried and stressed. Not only about the events of the World Cup but also about his recurring dream. But he didn’t want to seem weak or some kind of a coward so he never really voiced his worries to his friends. He let Hermione worry for him, she was good at that. Constantly reminding him what else he should be worried about. Harry knew she meant well so he just always nodded along, assuring her that he’ll be careful and that everything is going to be fine. But he was almost definitely sure that nothing is going to be fine.

After the sorting and dinner, Dumbledore started his usual announcements. To Harry’s dismay, one of the announcements was the cancellation of this year’s Quidditch Cup. That dampened Harry’s mood even more. He was sure if Oliver Wood was still in Hogwarts he would faint on the spot. Then Dumbledore introduced the new DADA professor, Mad-Eye Moddy, who gave Harry the creeps. But one had to be a bit odd to be a DADA professor. Then there was another announcement about the Triwizard Tournament that was about to take place in Hogwarts this year. That piqued Harry’s interest. It sounded very exciting. Everyone was really intrigued, the Weasley twins already saying the will enter, only to be shut down by the age restriction. Harry was a bit disappointed at first but then he was actually relieved. With all this stress and worries he had, worrying about the Triwizard Tournament on top of that was not a fun idea. And with his luck, he would definitely be picked if he tried to enter. Maybe this will actually give him a nice and quiet year for a change.

On their way out of the Great Hall, the twins were in a heated discussion about how to walk around the age restriction rule. Hermione kept reminding them how dangerous the Tournament actually is and saying that they should respect the rules but Ron was also on the side of the twins. Harry just smiled to himself, not really looking where he was going and staying behind his friends when someone bumped into his shoulder.

“Oops, sorry,” Harry looked up only to see Cedric Diggory giving him a shy smile.

“No, it was my bad, sorry,” Cedric apologized. “Are you okay?”

“Erm, yeah, you just bumped into me, it’s nothing.”

“No, I meant, I haven’t had the chance to talk to any of you after the World Cup and Dad said you were there when the Dark Mark was created.”

“Er, yeah, no, I’m okay,” said Harry nervously.

“I wanted to write you and the Weasleys a letter to make sure but then I got too shy because we don’t really know each other that well,” continued Cedric.

“Yeah, I suppose,” Harry shrugged. “So are you thinking of entering the Tournament?” he tried to change the conversation.

“Yeah, I think so. I mean, I know my dad wants me to, so I probably will, but I probably won’t get chosen anyway,” Cedric smiled.

“You never know, I guess,” Harry said. “I’m going this way now,” he motioned to the staircase that went up.

“Oh yes, I’m sorry. Well, good night, Harry,” Cedric said. “I’m glad you’re okay.”

“Thanks, goodnight.”

And with that, they parted ways. Harry climbed the stairs and caught up with his friends that were still discussing the Tournament. Maybe, Harry thought, what made Cedric Diggory an extremely handsome boy was not his good looks but his kindness and good manners.

Harry didn’t talk to Cedric again, which wasn’t anything unusual. They had different social circles so to speak. Cedric was a Hufflepuff and he was older than him so there wasn’t really much chance of them running into each other. Harry didn’t even think about it that much. He tried to focus on school which made Hermione really proud of him and Ron bit annoyed with him.

Mad-Eye Moody turned out to be true to his name. He was mad and he was moody. Harry wasn’t sure if he liked him yet because he was still giving him the creeps. Plus he seemed very interested in Harry, always looking at him, which Harry was quite used to from people by this time but still didn’t enjoy very much. Meanwhile, Hermione started S.P.E.W. and wouldn’t shut up about it. As honorable as her intentions were Harry didn’t care that much. He imagined Dobby being thrilled by the idea of S.P.E.W. but the whole thing wouldn’t probably excite that many people. Wizards didn’t really seem to care about other creatures and Harry didn’t think that would change. Even if Hermione was very stubborn and persistent.

September quickly rolled into October and the students from the other schools finally arrived. Amongst them none other than the very famous Viktor Krum, which made Ron well excited. Harry thought to himself that Ron was suspiciously overly excited. But Harry wasn’t going to judge. Then came the Beauxbatons students and Ron got even more excited, fawning over the girls. Harry didn’t really understand. Should he be feeling like that too? Or was Ron just going through something of his own? Hermione didn’t act any different at least so maybe Harry was fine.

“Are you okay, Harry?” asked Hermione when they were walking back to their dormitory.

“What? Yeah, just thinking,” he said.

“Are you thinking about Cho Chang? You kept looking at her. She is quite pretty, but not like that girl from Beauxbatons. But for Hogwarts girl, she is okay,” babbled Ron.

“Honestly, Ronald, can you think about something else than that?” Hermione said annoyed.

“Sure. I’m thinking about how I can sneak to see Viktor Krum and get his autograph.”

“Which is really the same thing,” said Hermione.

Ron didn’t say anything at that and just looked confused. Harry thought about if he really kept looking at Cho Chang. He honestly couldn’t remember. Maybe he looked in her direction and just spaced out. He kept doing that a lot.

“Honestly, Harry, are you okay?” asked Hermione again. Apparently, she was talking to him before and he didn’t register.

“Hm? Yeah. I mean, should I be looking at Cho Chang?”

“You fancy her, don’t you,” Ron nudged him.

“I don’t know. Should I? I guess she is pretty. But I don’t really know her so I can’t know if I like her.”

“You can like someone without knowing them,” Ron said.

“I mean I can like how someone’s looks but I can’t like-like them if I don’t know them,” Harry argued.

“Sure you can,” Ron shrugged.

“Just because you can Ronald, doesn’t mean Harry can,” Hermione said sharply. “I think it’s better that way anyway, to like someone after you talk to them and get to know them.”

“Maybe. But the only girl you ever talk to is Hermione, Harry. And maybe Ginny. So maybe you should try to talk to Cho Chang.”

“I haven’t really thought about it,” Harry shrugged.

“That’s good, Harry. At least you can focus on school, which is actually much more important,” Hermione said and glared at Ron. “And you will have time to help me with S.P.E.W.!”

“So if I like someone I don’t have to help, right?” asked Ron and Hermione just rolled her eyes.

At dinner, the next day, everyone was ready to see who gets to be picked by the Goblet of Fire. All of the Gryffindors were rooting for Angelina and Harry did too. But he did admit to himself that he wouldn’t mind if Cedric Diggory was the champion.

The Durmstrang champion turned out to be Viktor Krum, which made Ron ecstatic. The Beauxbatons champion was Fleur Delacour, who turned out to be the girl Ron was fawning over the most. That made Ron even more ecstatic. And then the Hogwarts champion turned out to be – Cedric Diggory! That made Ron very unhappy but Harry just smiled and was actually glad for Cedric. This seemed like it would be a very interesting tournament indeed.

But before Harry could enjoy the excitement any longer, a long flame shot suddenly from the Goblet of Fire. Another piece of parchment flew out and Dumbledore seized it. _Please, no,_ Harry thought to himself, getting a feeling that this would be very bad. And then Dumbledore cleared his throat and said – “Harry Potter”. And Harry felt like he died on that exact spot he was sitting on.

Everyone was looking at him and it was terrible. Harry wanted to throw up, or run away, or jump out of the Astronomy Tower. And then suddenly he was on his feet and Dumbledore motioned to him to go through the door as all the other champions did but no one said anything else. _Why is no one saying anything?_ Harry thought. _They must know it’s a mistake._

And then suddenly he was in the room with the other champions and they were all looking at him like he was some kind of lost child separated from his mom. Then people kept talking but Harry couldn’t hear anything. He was shaking and all the attention was on him but no one really paid any attention to him, which was a very weird feeling. Then Dumbledore asked him if he did put his name in the Goblet or asked anyone to do it for him and Harry said the truth – that he didn’t. It was the first time he heard himself speak afterward and his voice seemed distant to him, almost foreign. And then everyone kept talking and it was decided that Harry must compete. Harry didn’t understand why he had to. He didn’t want to and no one else wanted him to. Someone probably wanted him to die in the Tournament so maybe he should just go ahead and do it himself to avoid all of that. But before he could think it out any further Dumbledore sent them off to their dormitories and Harry and Cedric left together.

“So,” said Cedric, with a slight smile. “We’re playing against each other again!”

“I s’pose,” said Harry. He was still shaking. He wanted to throw up and cry at the same time. He was scared Cedric hated him like the rest of the school will. Then Cedric’s hand was on his shoulder and Harry realized he was talking to him again.

“I believe you,” said Cedric. “I believe you didn’t put your name there.”

“You do?”

“Yes, I mean it’s obvious from just looking at your reaction,” Cedric smiled but then he frowned. “Harry, you’re shaking.”

“I,” mumbled Harry but before he could finish, Cedric took him by his hand and led him to the kitchens.

“Come on, you need to calm down a bit,” he said.

When they were inside the kitchens, only a few elves were around and they didn’t seem to mind them being there. They seemed to know Cedric quite well in fact. Cedric sat Harry down by the fireplace and sat next to him while one of the elves brought them each a cup of tea.

“I’m sorry,” Harry said finally.

“What for?”

“For being in the Tournament. Everyone was so happy you were chosen and then I just ruined it by being me.”

“It’s not your fault,” said Cedric. “And you didn’t ruin anything.”

Harry took a sip of his tea, which calmed his nausea a bit. He still felt like crying though but forbid himself to cry in front of Cedric.

“The only thing I don’t understand is why you have to compete.”

Harry just shrugged and drank his tea in silence. When they finished the tea, Harry felt a bit calmer.

“Thank you,” said Harry.

“What for?” Cedric repeated his earlier question.

“For being nice to me. And believing me.”

“Of course,” smiled Cedric. “I know we don’t know each other that much, Harry, but if you need anything, you can come to me. I guess it’s going to be hard for you now and don’t feel like you can’t talk to me just because we’re supposed to compete with each other.”

Harry was quiet for a while and then just nodded. “Thanks, Cedric,” he mumbled.

“Look at me, Harry,” Cedric said and Harry looked at him reluctantly. “I don’t hate you, okay?”

“Okay, thanks,” Harry smiled.

“And stop being thankful for someone being a decent human being to you.”

“Okay, thanks,” Harry chuckled a bit.

“Come on, it’s late. Let’s get you to bed.”

Harry protested to Cedric walking him to his dormitory but Cedric insisted, pulling out the prefect card. Harry wasn’t shaking anymore or didn’t feel nauseous. In fact, he felt much calmer. When they reached the Fat Lady portrait Harry thanked Cedric again and Cedric just squeezed his shoulder and smiled.

“Get some sleep, Harry. Goodnight.”

“Goodnight.”

With that, Harry climbed through the portrait hole into his common room. When he got in, he was greeted by applauding Gryffindor house. Everyone kept asking him questions but no one really wanted to hear the truth. So Harry, with much difficulty, went off to bed. To his great dismay, Ron didn’t believe him either and after their argument, Harry felt a bit nauseous again. He fell to his bed thinking that Ron will just need a bit of time to believe him and that he will try to reason with him tomorrow.

So it was not going to be a quiet year after all. 


	2. Of Friends and Dragons

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> things keep happening around Harry too quickly to his own liking.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading the first chapter and leaving kudos and comments, it made me happy :)

Harry didn’t have the chance to talk to Ron in the morning as Ron seemed to avoid him. At least he had Hermione, Harry thought. He realized how glad he was that Hermione was his friend when they went on a walk that morning to avoid everyone. They talked about Ron and Harry, although a bit angry at first, agreed that he will try and talk to him. Then Hermione was urging him to write to Sirius and Harry knew he should but didn’t want to worry his godfather any further. He already made him stress about his dream and now this. It was strange to have someone suddenly worry about him like this and Harry was still getting used to it. So he wasn’t sure how to go about it. Should he just write _‘Hey Sirius, someone wants me dead again, what else is new?’_ or _‘Did you know that wizards can’t count and think Triwizard means four people?’_ But he knew he had to tell him somehow.

“I’m sorry I didn’t wait for you to get back last night,” Hermione said at last. “I was waiting but then you took your time and I figured you’d want to be left alone.”

“It’s okay. I was in the kitchens with Cedric,” said Harry.

“Cedric? How is he taking not being the only champion?”

“I was scared he would hate me,” Harry said. “But it turned out he believes I didn’t put my name there. And he was nice to me.”

“He seems like he would be like that,” smiled Hermione.

“Like what?”

“Kind. And Reasonable.”

Harry just nodded.

“How are you feeling?” Hermione asked then.

“I’m okay. Better than last night. Cedric really helped me to calm down,” Harry said. “But everything is still, I don’t know, dazed? Does that make sense?”

“Yes. I think you’re still a bit in shock,” Hermione frowned. “Promise me you’ll take care of yourself and be careful.”

“I promise,” Harry smiled and with that, they went back to the castle and Harry started writing his letter to Sirius.

Harry tried all day to find Ron but he seemed to be still avoiding him. And since Harry wasn’t that hungry all day and also didn’t feel like facing all the students in the Great Hall, he skipped both lunch and dinner so he couldn’t see Ron there either. Harry decided to wait for him in their dormitory. He got there quite early so none of the other boys were there yet and Harry decided to look through his textbooks to pass the time. Ron arrived after dinner and when he saw that only Harry was in the dormitory, he looked very uneasy and was about to leave again.

“Ron, wait!” Harry said and Ron seemed like he was debating whether to stay or go. “Can we talk, _please_?”

“Hermione urged me all day to talk to you so she would probably have my head if I didn’t,” Ron said after a long pause and then he sat down on his bed facing Harry.

“I’m sorry this happened,” Harry started. “I really didn’t put my name in the Goblet and I don’t know what I can say to make you believe me.”

“I know you didn’t. It’s just easier to believe you did,” Ron muttered.

“Look, I know that sometimes it is hard to be friends with me,” Harry continued. “And Hermione tried to explain to me why you were angry before. And I get it. I just don’t know how to make things better. If I could stop being me, I would.”

“Don’t say that,” Ron said finally. “If you weren’t you, we wouldn’t be friends,” he whispered and Harry blinked. “I mean, not because you’re the famous Harry Potter. But because you’re you.”

“Thanks,” smiled Harry. “So does that mean we’re friends again?”

“I guess. I mean I can’t let you just hang out with Hermione all day. Look at you, you’re already deep in books and we haven’t talked to each other just for one day!” Ron chuckled.

“Oh, I’m sorry I’m trying to learn something so I don’t look like an idiot next to the older students in the Tournament,” Harry laughed.

“You will look like an idiot either way.”

“That’s true.”

Harry was glad that he and Ron made up because he needed both of his friends. And not because all this was very hard for him but because it felt weird not being friends with both of them together.

The next few days, Harry went on with his classes and tried to ignore everyone glaring at him at every corner. Cedric seemed to gain a lot of attention, especially from girls, and Harry didn’t have the chance to talk to him. But then he didn’t know what would he tell him exactly anyway. He couldn’t imagine how terrible it would be if he would have to face this all alone but Ron and Hermione both stayed closed to him most of the time. And then the badges came. Harry was expecting something from Malfoy any minute but the badges surprised him a bit. _That’s a lot of effort to put into bullying someone,_ Harry thought. He tried to ignore Malfoy but failed miserably when they threw hexes at each other and Hermione then ended up in the hospital wing. Harry hoped her teeth would be okay in the end but before he could even think about it more, he was called to a meeting with the other champions.

When he got to the classroom with the other champions, everyone else was already there. Cedric was talking to Fleur and Viktor Krum was alone in a corner, looking moody and intimidating as ever. Then Ludo Bagman informed Harry that this was a Wand Weighing ceremony, which made Harry suddenly very ashamed of his wand. And apparently, there was going to be a little photoshoot as well, which made Harry feel even more uneasy. And before Harry could do anything else he was in a broom cupboard with Rita Skeeter and she was talking to him. Not really talking to him, though. More like asking questions very quickly and then answering them by herself. After a while, Dumbledore saved Harry from that horrible woman and the ceremony started. After the ceremony the photos were taken and then they were free to go to dinner.

“Hey Harry,” Cedric caught up with him. “Feeling any better?”

“Hi, Cedric. Yes,” Harry said. “Had a little argument with Ron but it’s all okay now. How are you?”

“Getting used to all the attention, you know. I have people following me everywhere. It’s a bit strange.”

“I have the opposite problem. I tend to repulse people,” Harry laughed.

“I told everyone in Hufflepuff that they shouldn’t bully you. So I hope they’re not giving you a hard time. And I’m trying to get people to stop wearing the badges.”

“Thank you,” Harry said in awe. “You didn’t have to do that.”

“Well, it’s not fair to you, is it?”

“This whole situation is not fair to you either,” said Harry. “You should try and enjoy it. I’ll be okay.”

“What did Skeeter want, by the way?”

“I don’t even know. She somehow managed to write an interview with me without me saying a word to her.”

“That’s Daily Prophet for you,” laughed Cedric.

They walked to the Great Hall and separated there. Harry sat down with Ron who told him that Hermione is still getting her teeth fixed. When they got back to the dormitory, Harry had a letter from Sirius.

“I shouldn’t have written to him,” said Harry.

“He would find out either way. Don’t worry, he knows what he’s doing,” Ron assured him.

In the next few days, the article in Daily Prophet was published and it talked mainly about Harry. They mentioned the champions from the other schools but not a word about Cedric. And everything about Harry was lies that made him look like a desperate attention seeker. And everyone on each corner made a snarky remark about the article as well.

“You guys don’t believe it, right?” Harry asked Ron and Hermione over dinner one day.

“Mate, I sleep in the same room. I think I would have noticed if you kept crying about your mum and dad,” Run chuckled.

“Don’t worry about it, Harry,” Hermione assured him.

“I’m sorry you got dragged into the article as well, ‘Mione,” said Harry.

“It’s not your fault,” she replied. “Plus, it’s not really putting a bad light on me,” she added with a smile.

“I’ve got to talk to Cedric. I feel bad that all the attention is on me. As if he wasn’t a champion at all,” Harry thought out loud.

“If you think so,” shrugged Ron. “I don’t think it matters. It’s only Diggory. Hufflepuffs are used to that, you know.”

“Stop being so ignorant, Ronald,” said Hermione and glared at him.

“Cedric was really nice to me, Ron,” Harry said. “He’s trying to get people to stop wearing the badges and stuff. I should try to look out for him too.”

“Alright, I guess,” Ron said unfazed.

But Harry didn’t have a chance to talk to Cedric and the days seemed to go by very quickly. Suddenly, it was the Saturday before the first task and everyone went to Hogsmeade. Harry hoped he could talk to Cedric there but he seemed to be surrounded by his admirers and Harry tried to stay unnoticed by everyone. But they ran into Hagrid who told Harry to meet him at midnight.

What Hagrid wanted to show Harry turned out to be dragons. Harry wasn’t as happy to see them as Hagrid was. In any other situation, he probably would be excited to see a dragon but not right before the first task of the Tournament. After listening to Charlie Weasley explaining the dragons to Hagrid, Harry hurried back to the common room to talk to Sirius. The talk with Sirius didn’t calm him down and even Ron looked bit shaken when Harry told him about everything in their dormitory.

“I have to tell Cedric about the dragons,” Harry said.

“Why?” asked Ron.

“It’s only fair. The other champions will know about them too anyway.”

“If you think so.”

Harry didn’t catch Cedric the next day either and spent the day studying dragons with Hermione and Ron in the library. On Monday, Harry was determined to talk to Cedric so he followed him from the Great Hall. Cedric was surrounded by his friends and Harry felt too shy to talk to him in front of them so he resumed to the only solution that seemed logical to him and cast a spell that made Cedric’s bag split. Cedric waved his friends off when they tried to help him and they left him alone. This was Harry’s chance.

“Cedric!” Harry shouted and came out of the corner. He bent down to help him with the bag.

“Hi, Harry,” Cedric smiled as he was picking up his books.

“Sorry about this. I needed to talk to you and didn’t want to disturb your friends and all.”

“You broke my bag just to talk to me?”

“Yeah, I’m sorry, Cedric. I can replace it if you want.”

“Don’t worry about that, I can fix it later,” Cedric said. “But I told you before that you can talk to me. Don’t mind my friends. You don’t have to destroy my things every time you want to talk to me,” he added but smiled at the end to show Harry he wasn’t angry with him.

“Okay,” Harry nodded.

“So, what did you want to talk to me about?” Cedric asked after a pause and Harry only now realized that he completely forgot why he was there in the first place.

“Dragons,” he blurted out.

“Dragons?”

“That’s the first task. I saw them. The other champions will know probably by now too. So I had to tell you.”

“Okay, wow,” Cedric breathed out. “Thank you. That’s good information.”

“Yeah, that’s okay,” Harry smiled. “Er, I also wanted to apologize about the article in the Daily Prophet.”

“Why?”

“Because it’s all about me and they don’t even mention you. As if you weren’t a champion too.”

“That’s not your fault, Harry. Skeeter will write what she wants. And I’m probably glad I’m not in the article. Who knows what horrible things she would write about me?”

“I’m sure there are no horrible things about you,” Harry said before he could even think about it and Cedric just smiled.

“Thanks, Harry. I really appreciate you telling me. I have to run to class now, though, so I’ll see you around, okay?”

Before Harry could say anything, he got interrupted by Mad-Eye Moody who cleared his throat and both boys looked at him. He sent Cedric away and told Harry to follow him. Harry then had a very strange talk with Moody that turned out to be a bit helpful for him to figure out how to deal with the dragon.

So Harry, Ron, and Hermione all started learning the Summoning Charm. And then it was suddenly the day of the first task. Harry tried not to focus too hard on it. He tried to just go on with his day. _I’ll just go to classes, try to have some food, fight a dragon and then maybe I’ll be alive by the end of today,_ he thought to himself. _And if not, at least I’ll have finally some peace,_ was his another thought but then he stopped himself because this was the exact type of thinking that Hermione scowled at him for.

Suddenly, Harry was in a tent with the other champions. They all got their dragons and Harry, of course, ended up with the Horntail. He looked at Cedric and Cedric seemed nervous too. Which calmed Harry down a bit. He wanted to talk to him but was taken away by Ludo Bagman for some reason. When he got back, Cedric was emerging to fight his dragon.

“Good luck,” Harry managed to say and Cedric squeezed his shoulder but didn’t say anything.

Cedric was done quickly, and then it was Fleur and then Krum. And then it was Harry’s turn to be set on fire. He didn’t even know how but somehow he did it. It felt like that wasn’t even him. It felt like he wasn’t present in his own body for the whole thing. He came back to his consciousness when he seized the egg and everyone was cheering. Harry didn’t know how to react since he honestly thought he was going to die and this came a bit like a surprise to him. So he just laughed.

He was ushered to see Madam Pomfrey after. She cleaned his cuts but Harry didn’t pay attention to that very much. He looked at Cedric who was covered in orange paste.

“Are you okay?” asked Harry.

“Yeah, just bit burned, but nothing to worry about,” Cedric smiled. “Well done, by the way. How are you feeling?”

“Good. Surprised that I’m still alive,” Harry laughed.

Ron and Hermione then emerged into the tent to congratulate Harry.

“You were really good too, Cedric,” Ron said to Harry’s surprise. “Wicked transfiguration.”

“Thank you,” Cedric smiled.

Then they went to get the score and Harry was tied for the first place with Krum. He couldn’t believe it. Surely, that was a mistake. He didn’t do badly but he wasn’t that good either. Ron, on the other hand, was ecstatic for Harry.

After the first task, Harry immediately sent Sirius a letter to tell him how he did. When they got back to the common room, everyone was cheering for Harry. It made him happy but he was also very tired from the whole day so he tried to get away from the celebrations. He realized he was very hungry and so when he finally got to the dormitory, he grabbed his invisibility cloak and went down to the kitchens, unnoticed by anyone in the Gryffindor common room.

To Harry’s surprise, Cedric was also in the kitchens, sitting alone by the fireplace with a cup of tea.

“Hey,” Harry greeted him when he took off his invisibility cloak. “Are you okay?”

“Hi, Harry,” Cedric turned to him with a smile. “Didn’t hear you coming. Yeah, I’m okay. Just wanted to have some time alone, plus I was hungry, didn’t eat that much today.”

“I can leave if you want.”

“No, it’s okay. I don’t mind,” Cedric said quickly.

Harry helped himself to some tea and one of the elves made him a sandwich. Then he sat down next to Cedric.

“Long day, huh?” Harry broke the silence.

“Yeah. You really did well out there.”

“You too. You should’ve gotten more points than me.”

“Give yourself some credit, Harry, that was very impressive what you did out there.”

“How is your burn?”

“It’s okay, I washed the paste off and it seems it’s healed. My admirers certainly don’t need to weep over my face,” Cedric chuckled.

“Really? Because it seems to me that your face lost its magic trick a bit,” Harry teased and Cedric laughed.

They sat in silence for a while, each enjoying their food and tea. Harry liked the silence, it wasn’t awkward at all, and it was quite comfortable. He inspected Cedric’s face and there wasn’t even a scratch from that burn. Cedric Diggory was as handsome as ever. He didn’t even look like he fought a dragon earlier that day, he was so put together and calm. Harry thought about how he must look like. Scrawny, with dark circles under his eyes and his hair looking like the dragon’s egg, could just live in it. _Well, not everyone can be Cedric Diggory,_ he thought. He didn’t realize he was slowly dozing off when his head fell on Cedric’s shoulder.

“We should get to bed,” Cedric smiled and Harry agreed.

Cedric again insisted on walking him to the Gryffindor common room and Harry couldn’t change his mind.

“Goodnight, Harry,” Cedric smiled and ruffled his hair when they got to the portrait of the Fat Lady.

“Goodnight, Cedric,” Harry said tiredly and climbed to the hole of the portrait.

The celebrations in the common room were already done for by this time so Harry could easily go straight to the dormitory. Everyone seemed to be asleep already when he got there. Ron woke up when Harry was getting ready to bed.

“Harry, you okay?” he mumbled.

“Yeah, just went to clear my head. Go to sleep,” said Harry and climbed to his bed.

“G’night,” Ron mumbled and fell asleep again.

Harry was asleep almost immediately and for once in a long time had a very quiet, undisturbed sleep.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I made Harry and Ron make up earlier in the story because I don't like them not being friends.
> 
> Thanks for reading! :)


	3. Confusion and Anxiety

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Harry has a lot on his mind and nothing makes sense. Yule Ball happens among other things.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks everyone for the response :)

December came way too quickly for Harry’s liking. Hermione got very excited about Dobby and Winky working in Hogwarts for an actual wage and Harry was glad to see Dobby again. It was nice when the house elf wasn’t trying to save his life.

Soon after one of their Transfiguration classes, Professor McGonagall was explaining to them The Yule Ball, which received a mixed response from everyone. Harry wasn’t very keen on going to the ball and his enthusiasm got even more shut down after Professor McGonagall told him that, as a champion, he has to have a partner and they will perform a dance at the start of the ball. Harry was terrified. But there was no room for discussion with Professor McGonagall. So now on top of worrying about figuring out the egg he had to worry about some ball too. Harry didn’t know how to act in situations like this. _It’s going to be fine_ , he thought to himself, _I’ll just take someone nice, someone I can talk to easily, it doesn’t have to be a big deal._ Unfortunately for Harry though, the only people he talked to easily were Hermione, Ron, maybe Ginny, and maybe Cedric. He couldn’t ask Hermione because he assumed Ron would want to go with her, and he couldn’t ask Ginny because Ron, and all the other Weasley brothers, would probably kill him.

“Why don’t you ask Cho Chang?” Ron asked and winked at Harry.

Somehow Ron got into his head that Harry fancied Cho. _Maybe I should fancy Cho,_ Harry thought. She was a very pretty girl and she did always smile at him when he looked at her. Harry didn’t speak to her that much in the past but whenever he did, she was always nice to him. So maybe that was all that people thought about when they said they liked someone. Harry decided then to ask Cho to the ball. It was terrible. He was all nervous and red when he asked her. He also had to repeat himself because the first time he asked it didn’t come out as a coherent sentence. But Cho turned him down apologetically. She, of course, was going with none other than the extremely handsome Cedric Diggory. Harry completely understood. If he had to choose between himself and Cedric, he would definitely choose Cedric. This certainly made Harry feel less confident in asking someone else.

It turned out; Ron didn’t have much luck either as he tried to ask Fleur Delacour of all people. So Ron was definitely going through something of his own. Hermione seemed to have a date already, which Ron couldn’t believe and Harry didn’t know why. Hermione was a pretty girl so someone had to ask her by now. To Harry’s surprise, Ron even tried to set him up with Ginny, only to find out that she was going with Neville already. Harry was kind of glad because he knew Ginny had a small crush on him and that would probably be a bit uncomfortable. Plus, he didn’t want her to feel bad either.

“This is terrible,” Harry sighed. “Why can’t we just go together?”

“I mean, we probably could,” said Ron.

“There is nothing saying you can’t,” Hermione said. “But Harry wouldn’t that draw too much attention to you?”

“Yeah, but we would have much more fun if we went as friends,” Harry said.

“Yes, but don’t forget that you have to open the ball with the other champions. If you and Ron go together, you wouldn’t hear the end of it until the second task.”

“I would probably get teased by Fred and George after too,” Ron said.

“Plus, your robes are terrible, Ron, so I can’t go with you,” Harry laughed.

They ended up asking the Patil sisters. Harry didn’t talk to any of them much before but at this point, he was just glad to go with someone. Ron kept constantly asking Hermione about who she was going to the dance with but she refused to say. The weather got colder quickly and it was constantly snowing now. There was enough snow by Christmas Day that they all went outside to have a snowball fight. It was initiated, of course, by Fred and George.

Harry felt happy at that moment. Having fun in the snow with his friends, what more he could ask for. At that moment he didn’t think about the Yule Ball or the second task or anything else, he was just laughing with his friends and throwing snowballs. When they had a break from the fight, Harry saw Cedric walking outside with his friends and amongst them was Cho Chang as well. Cedric looked at him and smiled. Harry threw him a wicked smile, which only meant one thing. In the next second, a snowball landed in Cedric’s face, which startled Cho a little bit, but when Cedric started laughing she laughed too. Cedric and all his friends then joined the snowball fight and Harry felt like he was flying.

“I was afraid that you were angry with me or Cedric,” Cho said as they headed back to the castle.

“No, I’m not,” Harry said with a small smile. “If I knew you were going with Cedric to the ball I wouldn’t have asked you.”

“Who are you going with then?” Cedric asked.

“Parvati Patil.”

“Oh, yes, her sister said she was going with Ron,” Cho said.

“I would think you would go with Hermione, you guys hang out all the time,” said Cedric.

“She’s going with someone else. I didn’t know who else to ask, to be honest. I don’t talk to that many people,” Harry shrugged.

“Famous Harry Potter not surrounded by fangirls?” Cedric laughed.

“Well, you know I’m like the Boy Who Lived but so did everyone else. So what else is new,” Harry smiled.

“You should give yourself more credit, Harry,” Cho smiled. “You keep on living even though people have tried to kill you, how many, three times now?”

“Something like that, yes,” laughed Harry.

“Well, we’ll see you tonight, Harry,” Cedric said and they parted ways.

They all went back to their common room to start getting ready for the ball. Ron kept fussing about his robes and Harry honestly felt sorry for him. When they finally got ready, they met with Parvati, who looked very pretty, and then went down to meet with Padma as well. Ron was constantly looking for Hermione and Harry wanted to calm him down but was getting nervous himself about the opening dance.

He noticed Cedric and Cho, both looking very nice, as they were deep in conversation. Then he saw Viktor Krum and his partner who turned out to be Hermione. And she looked absolutely beautiful. Now it was obvious why Hermione wouldn’t tell them who she was going with. _Ron must be going through a lot right now_ , Harry thought. But he didn’t have the time to think about it any further as the Great Hall opened and they were ushered in. The dance was terrible, in Harry’s opinion, and he was glad it was over. Finally, he could sit down with Ron, who looked incredibly sulky. When Hermione went to talk to them, Ron was very rude to her so she left to get a drink with Krum. The Patil sisters went to the toilet so Harry was left alone with Ron.

“Are you okay?” asked Harry but Ron didn’t say anything. “So are you jealous that she is with Viktor Krum or that he is with Hermione?”

“What?” Ron was all confused. “I don’t know. Don’t you feel like this too? Because of Cho?”

“Not really,” Harry shrugged. “So, are you going to sulk all night then?”

“I don’t know. I might go to bed.”

“No, you won’t,” Harry ordered. “Look, I know you’re probably a bit sad right now and it’s a lot to take in, but it’s Christmas. You’re here with a pretty girl, who for some reason didn’t leave you yet, even though your robes are horrendous,” Ron chuckled at that remark. “And we wanted to go as friends in the first place anyway, so let’s enjoy this as friends, okay?”

“I guess.”

“And don’t be mean to Hermione,” Harry said. “She is just a nice girl who got asked out to dance by a boy. And she is our friend. So even though it might be hard, try to be civil and have fun.”

“Okay, I’ll try,” Ron said with a small smile. “You sound like a textbook, Harry.”

“I listen to Hermione when she talks. You should try it sometime.”

The Patil sisters then returned so they all went dancing together. And Harry had to admit that he had quite fun. Hermione and Krum joined them later and Ron seemed to be doing a bit better. Cedric and Cho joined them for a bit as well but Harry didn’t have the chance to talk to either of them. Ron seemed to be feeling down again soon and said he was going to bed. Harry didn’t want to leave Ron so he excused both of them from everyone. The Patil sisters decided to stay and dance more as well as Hermione and Krum.

“Do you think he’s going to be okay?” asked Hermione.

“I hope so,” replied Harry. “Just enjoy the rest of the night, ‘Mione,” he smiled. “I’ll talk to him and you guys can talk tomorrow. I think you should.”

Harry saw Cedric and Cho dancing when he was leaving and didn’t want to disturb them so he left without saying goodbye. Ron was waiting for him outside the Great Hall and they decided to go for a walk before bed. Outside they witnessed a very strange conversation between Snape and Karkaroff.

“What do you think that was about?” asked Harry.

“Beats me. Sounded bit queer,” shrugged Ron.

“Huh?”

“Y’know. Like there might be something more than hatred between those two,” Ron explained.

“I don’t even want to imagine that,” Harry winced.

They walked back to the castle and were about to go upstairs when Cedric Diggory emerged from the Great Hall.

“There you are! Hermione said you left!”

“Yeah, we’re just about to go to sleep,” explained Harry.

“Already?”

“Sorry, I’m feeling a bit ill,” Harry said so Ron wouldn’t have to try explaining. “And Ron offered to take me upstairs.”

“Oh, okay, that’s a shame,” Cedric said. “Well, I just wanted to tell you something before you go.”

“Yes?”

“You know that golden egg? Does your wail when you open it?”

“Yeah,” said Harry.

“Well ... take a bath, OK?”

“What?”

“Take a bath, and – er – take the egg with you, and – er – just mull things over in the hot water. It’ll help you think ... trust me.”

Harry was very confused now and just stared at Cedric. Ron still stood behind Harry and didn’t say a word, waiting who’s going to break the tension first. Harry felt as if something was slowly loading in his brain but he couldn’t quite comprehend what it was.

“Tell you what,” Cedric continued, “use the Prefects’ bathroom. Fourth door to the left of that statue of Boris the Bewildered on the fifth floor. Password’s _Pine-fresh_. Gotta go back to Cho now ... hope you’ll feel better soon. Goodnight – “

He grinned at Harry and then went back to the Great Hall. Harry blinked and just stared at the space where Cedric stood just a few seconds ago. Ron waited for Harry to turn at him or say something but nothing happened.

“You okay there, Harry?” he asked and shook him by the shoulder.

Harry finally turned to Ron but didn’t say anything, he just started walking up the stairs. _What the hell was that?_ Harry thought. _Do people just tell other people to take a bath? Do they give them passwords to special bathrooms?_

“Well, that was ... something,” Ron broke the silence. “What do you think that was about?”

“What do you mean, Ron? I told him about the dragons so now he’s helping me with the egg.”

“Yeah, but to be fair, you literally said the task was going to be dragons. He’s just invited you to a hot tub with him and the egg.”

“Don’t be ridiculous. He just told me to take a bath. And think about the egg. Maybe it will help.”

“Harry, you are incredibly slow sometimes, do you realize that?”

“What?”

“Maybe I’m not the best person for you to have this conversation with. Especially when you’re kind of oblivious,” Ron said as they climbed through the portrait hole into their common room.

They got up to their dormitory and Harry was still thinking about what Cedric said, about what Ron meant as well. _He just told you to take a bath, it’s okay_ , he thought to himself. _Maybe you smell and he’s trying to tell you subtly. Maybe the egg reacts to you better when you smell nice._

No one else was in their dormitory yet. Everyone was still at the ball. So Harry and Ron were alone in the dormitory. They got ready for bed in silence. Harry still having a thinking ball in his brain and Ron deciding whether to talk to him or not.

“What did you mean, Ron?” Harry asked finally when they were both lying in bed.

“Mate, I don’t know. Ignore what I said. Maybe it’s not the best time.”

“But I am very confused.”

“You’re confused like ninety percent of the time,” Ron chuckled. “I was just thinking that Diggory telling you to take a bath was a bit odd. But maybe it’s not. I don’t know everything.”

“It was a bit odd. But I suppose taking a bath is crucial to figuring out the egg, otherwise, he wouldn’t tell me.”

“Probably. You’re right.”

“Ron?” asked Harry after a while. “Is there something wrong with me?”

“There are a lot of things wrong with you. You need to be more specific, mate,” Ron chuckled.

Harry thought for a moment. “Never mind. It’s okay,” he said eventually. “You okay?”

“I guess,” Ron shrugged.

“Do you want to talk about it?”

“Not really.”

And with that, they went to sleep. Ron was asleep almost immediately; his snoring filled the whole room. Harry often wondered how Ron could turn off his worries so easily and so quickly if he needed to. _Maybe he’s just pretending to turn it off,_ he thought. Sleep didn’t come to him that easily. He kept thinking about the whole night. About Karkaroff and Snape in the garden. _Maybe one of them put my name in the Goblet? They both seem to hate me a lot. That’s something to bond over._ Then he thought about the egg. Not about Cedric Diggory telling him to take a bath. The egg was more important and the bath just happened to be linked to it. _Okay, I’m going to take a bath with the egg, can’t be different from taking a bath with a rubber duck, can it?_

Harry fell asleep after a while but didn’t have a good sleep. He kept waking up and his nightmare came back to him as well. The next day was Boxing Day and Ron and Hermione seemed to agree not to discuss anything about the Yule Ball. Harry thought it would be better if Ron tried talking to Hermione about it but Ron was never too much on words. Harry didn’t want to cause any unwanted drama between them so he didn’t discuss it either. Plus, Ron and Hermione were friendly to each other and that was all that mattered. They told Hermione about Cedric’s advice as well.

“Well, that’s a bit odd,” said Hermione.

“That’s what I said!” Ron exclaimed.

“Honestly, will you stop that? Either explain it to me, Ron or shut up,” Harry retorted, annoyed.

Ron and Hermione just exchanged looks but said nothing.

“You should try it, though,” said Hermione eventually. “You haven’t had any luck with the egg so far.”

“I know that.”

“Well, why don’t you take a bath then?”

“Because I don’t feel like it,” Harry mumbled.

The truth was that he felt the second task approaching very quickly suddenly. But it was still Christmas and Harry wanted some peace. He just wanted not to think about being in a deathly competition for a little longer. But the holidays ended way too quickly and suddenly Harry was thinking about the classes again and kept pushing off dealing with the egg.

There was an article published about Hagrid in the Daily Prophet and Skeeter was finally banned from entering the Hogwarts grounds. It was still very suspicious how she got all the information on Hagrid. But Hagrid avoided all three of them for a whole week and Malfoy kept teasing them every chance he got. This all made Harry kind of forget about the egg. It was always in the back of his mind but he just sort of blocked it. That was until Hermione asked him about it on their next Hogsmeade trip.

“Did you take the bath with the egg yet?” she asked.

“Oh, yeah. I reckon I’ve got a pretty good idea what it’s about now,” Harry lied.

Hermione was impressed with him and Harry’s insides squirmed. When they were walking through Hogsmeade, they ran into Cedric and Cho. Harry seemed to see Cedric only with Cho lately. Not that he was bothered by it but he did realize that he kind of missed just talking to Cedric alone. _We only talked a few times anyway,_ he thought. _Not like we are proper friends._

“Hey Harry,” Cedric called and caught up with him.

“Hi,” Harry mumbled and stayed behind Ron and Hermione, who headed to the Three Broomsticks

“Worked out the egg yet?” asked Cedric.

“Yeah, sure,” Harry lied again.

“Really?” Cedric eyed him suspiciously. “So what’s it about then?”

“Er, why don’t you tell me?”

“You didn’t take the bath yet, did you?” Cedric asked.

“I mean I did shower this morning and took the egg with me.”

“Really?”

There was a small pause. “No. But I did shower,” Harry said finally.

“Good, I’m not concerned about your hygiene, Harry. I’m just concerned that you don’t have much time left.”

“Then why don’t you just tell me? I told you straightforward. No riddles.”

“Because there’s no fun in that,” Cedric smiled. “Plus, you are really supposed to find out on your own. You only told me last time because everyone else knew. I don’t know if the others worked it out yet.”

“Fine,” Harry retorted.

“Tell you what. Take the bath tonight, try to work it out, and meet me in the kitchens later. We can discuss it.”

“Okay,” Harry agreed reluctantly.

“I’ll see you later then,” Cedric smiled and ran back to Cho who was waiting for him by Madam Puddifoot’s Teashop.

Harry went to the Three Broomsticks to meet his friends and to his dismay ran into Ludo Bagman there, who insisted on talking to Harry. He tried to congratulate him again on the first task and then mentioned that Barty Crouch was missing, which Harry found very odd. But before he could ask more questions about it, Bagman kept asking him about the egg and the second task. And just as quickly as Harry got rid of Ludo Bagman, Rita Skeeter appeared in the pub. _Just my luck,_ Harry thought. Hermione was especially furious with Skeeter and didn’t hold back in letting her know. They left before anything could lead to a disaster but knew that Skeeter was going to strike back very soon.

On their way back to the castle they stopped by Hagrid’s cabin, hoping to get him to talk to them. Dumbledore was visiting him so he let them inside. Hagrid was still very upset by the whole half-giant thing being published in the Daily Prophet but in the end, he was glad that the three had visited him. They talked after Dumbledore left and it was nice. Until the talk turned again to Harry and the second task and Harry found himself lying again about working out the egg. They left soon after that and went back to their common room. Harry grabbed his egg from the dormitory, as well as his Invisibility Cloak, and headed off to the Prefect’s bathroom.

The bathroom was impressive, to say at least. It was like a hidden pool inside the school. Harry filled the tub with water and bubbles and got ready for a bath. The tub was so deep that Harry barely reached the bottom with his toes. He looked at the egg and opened it. Wailing filled the room and Harry quickly shut it again. _Think about the egg,_ he thought. _Are the bubbles supposed to fill me with ideas?_

“I’d try putting it in the water if I were you,” a voice interrupted Harry’s thoughts.

It was Moaning Myrtle. _Of course_ , Harry thought. _Who else could be interested in me than a weeping ghost?_

“Myrtle, where you spying on me?” he asked nervously.

“I wasn’t looking,” she winked. “But Harry, I am dead, can’t I have at least a little bit of fun.”

Harry just laughed nervously and prayed this would be over soon. “So in the water, you said?” he asked.

“That’s what Cedric Diggory did,” she replied.

 _Of course, she would spy on Cedric_ , Harry thought. _Why does Dumbledore allow perverted ghosts in the school?_

Harry lowered the egg beneath the water and opened it. He braced himself for a screeching sound again but heard a song instead. Harry took a deep breath and dove under the water to hear the song.

“I’ve got to go and look for people who can’t use their voices above the ground ...” he said when he emerged from the water. “Er ... who could that be?”

“Slow, aren’t you?” said Myrtle.

“Underwater ...” Harry said slowly. “Myrtle ... there aren’t merpeople in there, are there?”

“Oooh, very good,” she said. “It took Diggory much longer to figure that out.”

“So the second task will be underwater. With merpeople. I’m doomed,” Harry said.

He wasn’t a good swimmer at all. And then there was the whole breathing underwater thing as well. And Harry was sure that he could be the best swimmer of all and still couldn’t breathe underwater. Harry climbed out of the water, dried himself off and put on his pajamas. He checked the Marauder’s Map to see if Cedric was in the kitchens already and then he noticed Barty Crouch in Snape’s office. But Crouch was supposed to be missing. Maybe he should try to investigate it. But then he noticed Cedric was already in the kitchens so he decided to go there instead.

“Hi,” he said out of breath when he got to the kitchens.

“Hey, Harry,” Cedric smiled. “You’re always like a ghost when you come in, didn’t even hear you,” he handed him a cup of tea.

“Thanks,” Harry took the cup of tea and sat down next to Cedric.

“So, figured it out?”

“It’s going to be underwater and there are going to be merpeople,” said Harry.

“We’ve taken what you sorely miss,” Cedric repeated the song. “So I assume the task will be to get back what they’ve taken away from us.”

“Yes, and we’ll have about an hour to do it.”

“What do you think they will take away from us?” Cedric asked.

“I don’t know. But it’s going to be something really valuable for me to fight off merpeople.”

“Yeah,” Cedric nodded. “Nervous?”

“A little, yeah,” Harry admitted. “I’m not the greatest swimmer. And there’s the whole staying-underwater-for-an-hour thing.”

“There are plenty of ways to go about that. We went over the Bubble-Head Charm some while ago. But I’m not sure if you’ll be able to learn that in such a short time.”

“Thanks, Cedric.”

“It’s just a difficult charm, that’s all. Not that you wouldn’t be able to do it.”

“It’s okay. I’ll figure something out. Ron and Hermione will help me, I’m sure,” Harry smiled.

“Well, let me know if you need anything, Harry. I’ll be happy to help.”

“Thank you,” Harry smiled. “So, had fun at the Yule Ball?”

“Yeah. It was fun. Plus, the Weird Sisters were wicked. How about you, did you enjoy it?”

“It was better than I expected. But I guess I’m not into dancing that much.”

“You left quite early as well.”

“Yeah, Ron wanted to leave too. But I felt a bit exposed there. Contrary to the popular belief, I’m not great with so much attention,” Harry laughed. “But you had a good time with Cho?”

“Yeah, she’s great,” Cedric said. “I hope it wasn’t weird for you that we went together.”

“No, don’t worry. I only asked her out because Ron kept telling me to. I’m glad you two had fun.”

“And what about Parvati?”

“Parvati was nice. She stayed after I left. She and Padma met some Beauxbatons boys.”

“Oh, I’m sorry about that.”

“Why?”

“I thought it was like a date.”

“No,” Harry shrugged. “More like a friendly gathering. Or I don’t know. I wasn’t thinking about it that way.”

“Okay, that’s cool,” Cedric smiled.

There was a comfortable silence for a while as they drank their tea. “Did you know that Moaning Myrtle was stalking you?” Harry asked after a while.

“Yeah, I noticed. Can’t do anything about it, she’s a ghost,” Cedric laughed.

“Doesn’t it creep you out?”

“A little bit. But she’s harmless, isn’t she?”

“Yeah. I wasn’t too keen on her watching me take a bath.”

“Aw, Harry, don’t worry, she’s not going to bite you,” Cedric teased.

“I know. Just don’t like people watching me, that’s all. Especially when I’m naked,” Harry laughed.

Cedric just ruffled Harry’s hair and smiled. They finished their tea and left the kitchens.

“You really don’t have to walk me to the common room,” Harry said as they walked up the stairs.

“It’s late, Harry. And I’m a prefect. Of course, I have to,” Cedric replied. “Plus I want to walk you.”

“Thanks,” Harry mumbled as they got to the Fat Lady portrait. “Well, thank you for helping me with the egg. Goodnight.”

“No problem. Goodnight, Harry,” Cedric smiled and squeezed his shoulder.

When Harry walked up to his dormitory, everyone else was already asleep. Harry quietly crept into his bed, not wanting to wake anyone. It was very late already and Harry was very tired. He couldn’t, however, stop thinking about the second task. He was very worried and anxious about it, maybe even more than about the dragons. _Maybe in this one, I will finally die,_ he thought. _Stop thinking that_ , a voice, which sounded suspiciously like Hermione, spoke in his head. _Maybe I should try to sleep_ , Harry decided finally and after a while, he eventually fell asleep.


	4. Socks

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Harry has to deal with the second task, some fame and other things.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you so much for the warm responses! I didn't expect it at all! I'm sorry I haven't replied to the comments individually but I really do appreciate it. I wanted to post this sooner, but got busy. Anyway, here it is, thank you again :)

When Harry told Ron and Hermione about the second task they weren’t exactly thrilled. They were all trying to come up with ideas on how to keep Harry underwater for a whole hour but nothing seemed to fit. Harry liked the idea of being underwater less and less. First of all, he wasn’t a very good swimmer. Secondly, that meant he wasn’t a good diver either. And thirdly, he really wasn’t keen on closed spaces and being underwater was like being in a vacuum of some sort and Harry wasn’t looking forward to that at all. He kept Sirius informed about the second task and also about seeing Mr. Crouch on the Marauder’s Map. He kept spending so much time in the library that it almost felt like he lived there. They had no luck in finding anything useful and as the second task was approaching quickly, Harry felt more anxious than ever.

He had only two days left and still didn’t know what he was going to do. Harry had little appetite lately which didn’t go unnoticed by his friends but when they tried to urge him to eat, Harry simply ignored them. He got a letter from Sirius, which he hoped was going to cheer him up, but Sirius asked him only for the next Hogsmeade trip date.

Later that day, when they were walking back from classes, Cedric caught up with Harry. Ron and Hermione waved him off and walked back to look into the library again so Harry stood there in the hallway alone with Cedric.

“How’re you doing, Harry?” he asked.

“Er, spectacular,” said Harry.

“I’m worried about you. You seem stressed.”

“I wonder why,” Harry mumbled.

“Did you figure out what to do for the second task?”

“Yeah,” Harry said. He didn’t know why he lied to Cedric. There was just something inside of him that didn’t want Cedric to be worried about him even more.

“I don’t think I quite believe you,” Cedric said. “But if you don’t want to tell me, that’s your choice.”

“How are you, Cedric?” Harry tried to change the subject.

“Well, not great. Nervous and all. But overall, I’m okay,” he said.

“I gotta go meet Ron and Hermione now, sorry,” Harry said after a while of silence. “I’ll see you later, bye,” he waved Cedric off and ran away quickly before he could hear him say goodbye.

Harry wasn’t sure why but he just really wanted to avoid Cedric. Maybe it was because Cedric Diggory was this perfect student who would be flawlessly prepared already. He always looked so composed even when he was nervous and he always looked handsome. Harry, on the other hand, was radiating with stress and anxiety. He didn’t dare to look in a mirror for several days now because he knew he wouldn’t like what he saw. So it must have been clear to everyone that Harry was absolutely doomed. He might’ve even looked as if he’s gone mad over the task.

When the evening before the second task approached and Harry still had nothing, he was sure he was going to die. Maybe the school would use his death as an example of not doing everything at the last minute. He was also sure he was going mad because when he showered, he started trembling with anxiety and it was very hard to breathe. He didn’t tell any of this to Ron and Hermione because they seemed anxious enough for him already. They were still trying to find something in the library but Harry himself had already internally given up.

Their library session was interrupted by Fred and George who were sent for Ron and Hermione by Professor McGonagall. They told Harry they would meet him back in their common room to keep looking for a solution but Harry felt as if his last spark of light was suddenly taken away from him. When he got back to the common room, Ron and Hermione weren’t there. They were not returning for a long time and Harry felt like he was slowly dying. He took his Invisibility Cloak and made his way back to the library, determined to work through the night.

He woke up with his head in an open book. Dobby, of all people, or creatures, woke him up, telling him the task was going to start in ten minutes. _This is it,_ Harry thought. _This is how I’m going to die_. _Quite undignified death for the boy who lived_. But Dobby kept talking and Harry managed to gather that Ron was taken to the lake. _So now Ron will die too because of me,_ he thought but his depression was lifted by Dobby giving him something called Gillyweed. Harry knew it was very risky to take something from the house-elf, especially when he didn’t know what exactly it was. But it was his only chance by that point, so he took it gratefully.

Harry rushed to the lake and managed to get there at the last minute. Cedric looked at him intently and Harry couldn’t quite say what he was thinking. Harry offered him a small smile and hoped that would assure the boy that he knew what he was doing. Which he, of course, didn’t know, but maybe Cedric would believe it. Before Harry knew it, he was stuffing Gillyweed into his mouth and got into the lake.

Having gills was a very weird feeling. Although Harry could breathe underwater now, he still felt like he was suffocating. He just wanted to get it over with as quickly as he could. When Harry finally got to the hostages, he felt a bit nauseous. _Why would they let people be taken hostage underwater,_ he thought. But he focused on getting Ron out as quickly as he could. The other champions were still nowhere in sight when Harry was trying to untangle Ron and Harry was getting more and more anxious. But then, Cedric was suddenly swimming towards them. He gave Harry an intense look and motioned to him to leave quickly. Harry just nodded and Cedric quickly cut the rope that was holding Cho and was gone in an instant. Soon after that Krum appeared to retrieve Hermione but no one seemed to come to rescue the last hostage – a little girl. So Harry, because all the senses he ever had were gone by now, decided to rescue her as well.

Harry wasn’t sure how it happened after but eventually, he was on the surface, coughing out water. The crowd around them was making so much noise, Harry felt much disoriented. Apparently there was no need for Harry to save Fleur’s sister as well because she wouldn’t actually die. _They put us in death games, of course, I assumed they wouldn’t save her_ , Harry thought but felt very stupid nonetheless. Soon he was wrapped in blankets and had a hot potion forced down his throat. Hermione kept talking to him but Harry couldn’t make out a single coherent word. He locked eyes with Cedric who was standing further away, wrapped in a blanket, with Cho next to him. Cedric was looking at him intently and Harry couldn’t distinguish the emotion behind his look. Was it anger? Or worry? _No, he’s definitely angry with me,_ Harry thought. He just gave him a small smile but Cedric looked away and gave his attention to Cho instead. They were giving out points now and it turned out Harry was tying with Cedric. And then it was over and he was walking back to the castle.

“So, I’m the thing you’ll miss the most?” Ron nudged Harry on as they were walking. “Bit queer, innit?”

“Shut up, Ron,” Harry laughed. “Be glad I didn’t leave you there.”

“Oh no, what would I do? Please don’t ever leave me, my saviour!” Ron exclaimed dramatically.

They walked back to the dormitory where Harry changed into dry clothes. He was exhausted but Ron urged him to go to lunch with them. Harry didn’t still feel much like eating but agreed to go. He ate a little bit because Hermione was nudging him. But he still felt very dazed and exhausted.

“I have to thank Dobby,” he said. “I only survived thanks to him.”

“That was very risky, Harry,” Hermione said. “I hope you realise that you need to prepare better for the next task.”

Harry just glared at her. She was right, obviously. But he didn’t want to admit it. He didn’t want to talk about the tournament at all. He wanted to sleep.

“But I’m glad Dobby helped you,” she smiled. “And you did really well.”

“Thank you.”

“Are you okay, mate?” asked Ron.

“Just tired,” Harry said but when they kept looking at him he continued. “It was terrible. To see you guys there. I wish they wouldn’t do that.”

“We’re okay, Harry,” Hermione took his hand. “And you’re okay. It’s going to be over soon.”

“Yeah, and you’re like kicking the tournament’s butt,” Ron chuckled.

“Thanks, guys,” Harry smiled. “I think I just need some proper sleep.”

“You should eat more too,” Hermione frowned.

“I’ll try. I’ll go to the kitchens now to find Dobby and I think I’ll go to bed after, so I’ll see you later, okay?” he said as he got up.

“Okay but I’m bringing you some dinner if you don’t come down later,” said Hermione.

“I’ll just bring a snack from the kitchens.”

“I don’t believe you,” Hermione smiled.

Harry then left to the kitchens to find Dobby. He packed one of his nicest socks to give him as well.

“Dobby?” he called when he entered the kitchens and soon enough the house-elf appeared.

“Yes, Harry Potter, sir? Oh, Dobby is so glad to see you well, sir! And Dobby heard, Harry Potter is in the first place, sir! Dobby knew Harry Potter was going to do be great, sir!”

“Thank you, Dobby,” Harry smiled. “Listen, I want to thank you for your help, I wouldn’t be so great if it wasn’t for you.”

“Harry Potter would surely come up with something eventually, sir,” said Dobby.

“No, Dobby, you saved me. You saved my life again,” Harry said. “So here, I want to give you this,” he handed Dobby the socks. “And I promise to get you some nicer ones from Hogsmeade next time.”

“Oh, Harry Potter is just too kind, sir,” Dobby said and his eyes filled with tears. “Dobby will bring Harry Potter something to eat, sir.”

“No, I just ate, Dobby,” Harry assured him.

“But Harry Potter is very thin, sir. Harry Potter must eat to get strong for the last task, sir,” Dobby squeaked and rushed to make Harry food.

“He’s right, you know,” said a voice from the kitchen’s entrance and Harry didn’t have to turn to know who it was.

“Cedric Diggory will have some food too, sir. He is always so kind to Dobby, sir,” Dobby rambled on.

“Thank you, Dobby,” Cedric smiled.

Harry turned to him, suddenly feeling very shaken. He was afraid that Cedric was angry with him and he was also very aware of how moody Harry was with him before the second task. But Cedric looked at him very kindly and approached him. Before Harry knew it, he was forced into a tight hug. Cedric was hugging him and Harry suddenly felt so small. He wrapped his arms around Cedric slowly and enjoyed the warmth.

“You gave me quite a fright,” Cedric mumbled but Harry didn’t say anything. “You’re shaking again.”

Cedric let go of him and Harry felt cold all of a sudden. Cedric led him to sit down by the fireplace where Dobby left them some food and tea. Harry sat down next to Cedric and took his tea.

“I’m sorry for worrying you,” Harry said finally.

“Don’t be. I wanted to help you. It seemed like you were going mad over the task. And this morning you looked terrible.”

“Thanks,” Harry smiled.

“You know what I mean.”

“Yeah, I haven’t slept that much. I fell asleep in the library, I don’t know at what time, and then Dobby woke me up ten minutes before the task. If he didn’t give me the Gillyweed I would’ve probably drowned.”

“You’re mad,” Cedric said with a smile. “Why didn’t you tell me you were struggling?”

“I didn’t want to worry you. I didn’t want to worry anyone. But I still did. Plus I knew you must have been nervous yourself.”

“Harry, you’re allowed to have people worry about you.”

“I know. Or at least I think I know. It’s like I know it on the surface but I don’t know it inside yet, you know,” Harry said. “How are you feeling?” he asked after small silence settled between them.

“I’m okay. Exhausted. It was pretty weird to see Cho and everyone just tied there unconscious, right?”

“Yeah, that’s what I was thinking too. I just felt like they were in danger and because of me. If I wasn’t who I am, I wouldn’t be in this tournament and they wouldn’t be in danger.”

“Nothing would have happened to them, Harry. And it was not your fault how they designed the task. I didn’t want Cho to be there either but I couldn’t help it.”

“Thank you,” Harry smiled. “You’re always so reasonable. You and Hermione should hang out more I think.”

“She seems like a brilliant witch.”

“She is. I should listen to her more,” Harry said. “Ron keeps retelling the story about the task to everyone as if he weren’t unconscious the whole time and I swear he changes it every time,” he laughed. “How is Cho feeling afterward?”

“She’s okay. Not a big fan of swimming, bless her. So I think it was challenging for her too even if she doesn’t say it.”

“Can I ask how did you know you liked her?” Harry asked. He wasn’t sure if it was a bit of an odd question coming from him but he’s been confused ever since he had that conversation with Ron. And he thought rather than discussing it further with Ron he would ask someone who actually is in a relationship.

“I don’t know. I just did,” Cedric shrugged. “How do you know if you like someone?”

“That’s what I’m asking because I don’t know,” Harry said. “Sorry, forget about it, it’s stupid.”

“No, no, it’s okay. Sometimes I just forget you’re younger than me,” Cedric smiled. “Cho and I have a lot in common, you know. We started as friends, really. Got to know each other thanks to Quidditch. And I don’t know, after a while, I felt comfortable being around her. It was easy talking to her. And she is a very smart girl, kind too,” he said. “But I didn’t really know. Then there was Yule Ball and it seemed natural to invite her, I wanted to go with someone I liked.”

“So you weren’t dating before Yule Ball?”

“No,” Cedric said. “We’re kind of dating now but it’s new. Why did you want to know, need relationship advice?”

“No,” Harry mumbled. “I guess I was just wondering what it’s like for other people,” he said. “Ron’s been talking about this a lot lately and I just can’t seem to relate. But then so many other things keep happening there is no time to think about that.”

Cedric was silent for a while and Harry kept thinking that maybe he should have kept his silent suffering to himself. It was silly to talk about it when he wasn’t even sure how to word it in the first place. But there was just something about Cedric that made it easy for Harry to open up. Sure, he knew he could talk to Ron and Hermione about anything and they would be supportive. But since he didn’t know what it was he wanted to talk about he wasn’t sure they would understand it. But with Cedric it was different.

“It’s different for everyone, Harry,” Cedric said finally. “We’re not programmed to feel things the same way as each other. You’ll have plenty of time to figure it out, I’m sure,” he smiled. “It may be easy for me, or Ron, because there are not that many other things to worry about. I can’t imagine what I would feel if I were you. Ever since you came to Hogwarts there was something you had to deal with. And you’re only a boy. There’s probably not much energy left in you to deal with something so trivial like who to like.”

Harry thought about it. Maybe Cedric was right. Maybe Harry didn’t have enough time yet to process everything that happened to him to this point so there was no space to process something else.

“You’re right, I guess,” he said finally. “Thank you.”

“Anytime, Harry,” Cedric smiled. “Eat your cake,” he said.

Harry ate only half of his cake but thought that it was better than nothing. They finished their tea in comfortable silence. Harry felt warm inside, understood almost. He didn’t know when but at some point he fell asleep, his head falling on Cedric’s shoulder. Cedric woke him up after a while.

“Hey, Harry,” he whispered and it almost made Harry shiver. “You fell asleep.”

“Oh, I’m so sorry,” Harry mumbled and adjusted his glasses on his face properly.

“It’s okay; I just woke you because it’s time for dinner.”

“But I just had that cake,” Harry whined.

“You had barely half of it and that was like two hours ago.”

“I slept for two hours?” he asked. “I’m sorry, why didn’t you wake me sooner?”

“You were tired. I dozed off for a little bit too,” Cedric smiled. “Come on, you need to make an appearance for your friends or they’ll be worried. Being your friend is no easy task, you know.”

“Yeah, yeah, I know. But I’m really not hungry.”

“That’s too bad because we’re going,” Cedric said and got up, he took Harry’s hand and dragged him away from the kitchens. He let go of him when they were entering the Great Hall.

“Your friends are over there,” Cedric said. “I’m going to sit with Cho. Eat at least a little bit, okay? And then go to sleep. I’ll talk to you later,” he smiled and squeezed Harry’s shoulder.

“Thanks, Cedric. See you later,” Harry said and walked over to his friends who were already waiting for him. Cedric left to sit by Cho, he kissed her on the cheek before he sat down and then he managed to wave at Harry from there.

“Harry,” Hermione exclaimed. “You weren’t in the dormitory, what happened? You said you were going to sleep.”

“Sorry, I ran into Cedric in the kitchens,” Harry said as he sat down.

“What an interesting coincidence,” Ron smiled and Harry didn’t understand.

“So you were there for the whole time?” Hermione asked as she put some baked potatoes on Harry’s plate with a look that said ‘you’re going to eat this’.

“We talked a lot and then I kind of fell asleep there. Cedric woke me up just now to get dinner.”

“You fell asleep? With Cedric? In the kitchens?” Ron repeated.

“Yes, Ron, I was tired. I’m surprised I’m awake now,” Harry chuckled and ate some of his potatoes.

“Are you feeling better?” asked Hermione.

“Yeah, thank you. Still tired but much better,” Harry said. “How are you guys feeling?”

“I’m okay, but Hermione here has some trouble in paradise,” Ron smirked.

“What?” Harry asked.

“It’s nothing. Viktor just wanted me to sit with him for dinner and not with you guys. Just because he saved me from a lake doesn’t mean I’m going to abandon my friends.”

“Hermione, he was just asking you to sit with him, not to abandon us,” Harry smiled. “You are literally the thing he will sorely miss; I think you can grant him the honour to eat with you.”

“Yeah, we’ll be okay without you for a while, you know,” Ron said to Harry’s surprise. “Or you could ask him to sit with us if you want. I bet he’s not at all happy sitting with Slytherins.”

“You just want his autograph, Ronald,” she said and Ron chuckled.

“But Ron is right. We wouldn’t mind if he sat with us.”

“Okay, I’ll tell him next time,” Hermione said.

They finished their dinner. Harry managed to eat half of the potatoes Hermione shoved on his plate and when she agreed that it was enough food for him, they went up to their common room. Ron and Hermione sat in the common room amongst the other students but Harry climbed straight up to the dormitory and went to bed. He was asleep almost instantly.

Harry soon got a letter from Sirius to meet him on the next Hogsmeade trip. Harry was excited to see him but also very nervous and anxious. He didn’t want Sirius to be in more danger because of him. Meanwhile, there was another article about Harry published. They were in Potions when the Slytherins threw the newspaper to their faces. This time it talked about him and Hermione and she’s abandoning him for Viktor Krum, who already invited her to spend summer in Bulgaria.

“I’m sorry, Hermione,” Harry said.

“How did she know about Bulgaria? That’s funny,” Hermione pondered.

“Wait, that’s true?” Ron asked, his voice breaking a little bit. “Well, are you going?”

But Hermione didn’t reply to that, instead, she read more of the article.

“Look at the end of the article, Harry,” she said and handed the newspaper to Harry.

**Harry Potter, obviously devastated from his girlfriend abandoning him, seeks refuge with none other than the handsome Cedric Diggory. Diggory, another Hogwarts champion, was spotted with the Boy Who Lived leaving the Hogwarts kitchens hand in hand after the second task. Are the Hogwarts champions trying to help each other with the tournament, which we know would be against the rules, to assure victory for Hogwarts? Or did Cedric Diggory take pity on Harry Potter, who looks worse each day? Is Harry Potter getting over his girlfriend by playing for the other team? We will surely have to investigate that further.**

Harry was feeling sick all of a sudden. How did Rita Skeeter see them? There was no one around when they left the kitchens. They held hands only for a brief moment and that was only because Harry was so tired he would have fallen to the floor and fell asleep there.

“That’s terrible,” Ron huffed.

“They’re turning your life into some kind of a soap opera,” Hermione said.

“A what?” asked Ron.

“It’s a muggle thing,” she shrugged.

Harry didn’t say anything. He was deep into his thoughts again. Why was everyone so invested in his life all the time? And now they dragged Cedric into it too. Maybe he should just not talk to Cedric, to save him from the unwanted attention he would get from being friends with the famous Harry Potter. If Skeeter saw them what else did she see or hear? Harry will just have to be more careful from now on. Before he could think any further, however, Snape took the newspaper from him and started reading it out loud to the whole class. The class was luckily interrupted by Karkaroff barging in and insisting that he needs to talk to Snape.

On the next trip to Hogsmeade, Harry made sure he was carrying enough food for Sirius. They first stopped to buy Dobby some nicer socks and then they spotted the big black dog. Soon they managed to be out of sight of everyone and Sirius could change into his human form. Harry hugged him and noticed how thin his godfather was. But it felt nice to see him again. Sirius then started eating the food they brought him. They discussed everything important about the Tournament, Mr. Crouch, Harry’s dream, and Karkaroff and Snape.

“Do you have to hide like this all the time?” Harry asked Sirius.

“It’s the best option at the moment,” Sirius shrugged. “Remus wants me to hide in my old family house but I would have to stay in all the time. And I don’t know if I could do that.”

“But it’s better than eating rats and hiding in Hogsmeade like a dog. And maybe in summer, I could come live with you instead of the Dursleys.”

“I don’t think Dumbledore would allow that, Harry.”

“Dumbledore is not my family. You are.”

“I’m sorry, Harry,” Sirius sighed. “I’d love nothing more than for us to be together. I hope that we can soon.”

“Yeah, me too,” Harry mumbled.

“I hope you’re not getting these articles to get to your head,” Sirius said after a while.

“I barely notice them,” Harry lied and Sirius eyed him suspiciously.

“You need to focus on more important things. Keep your friends close and don’t mind the others.”

“Yeah, I know,” Harry smiled.

They soon had to say goodbye to Sirius and go back to Hogwarts. Harry felt sad for leaving Sirius and he was also worried about him. Maybe he should write to Lupin to see if he can get Sirius to a safer place. He knew that Lupin had enough to worry about himself but he was close with Sirius and knew him better than Harry. As they walked back to Hogwarts, Harry saw Cedric with Cho walking towards them. _Oh no,_ he thought, _he will want to talk to me about the article._ Harry tried to rush his friends so he would avoid talking to Cedric but there was no use.

“Harry,” Cedric called him. “Can I talk to you for a second?”

“Er, I guess,” he said and Ron and Hermione gave them some space.

“I just wanted to make sure you’re not bothered too much by that article,” said Cedric.

“Oh, no, I’m not. Are you?”

“No, don’t be silly. I mean my dad is probably going to be angry, he’s not a big fan of yours but that’s his problem.”

“Oh, sorry about that,” Harry said. “Well, I have to go, bye.”

With that, Harry ran back to his friends. Cedric seemed like he wanted to say something else but Harry decided it would be better if they had some space from each other. He didn’t want to throw any more bad light on Cedric, especially didn’t want to cause any problems between Cedric and his father. Harry went back to his common room and started writing the letter for Lupin, asking him about Sirius.

_Dear Professor Lupin,_

_I’m sorry for writing you out of the blue, I know we haven’t spoken in a while. I went to Hogsmeade today to see Padfoot. He insisted that we meet in person, which I thought was very risky but I was glad to see him. Please don’t tell him I told you. He mentioned that you wanted him to live in his old family house to be safer and I know he refused. I was just wondering if you could try to persuade him again? You know him better than I do and maybe I shouldn’t meddle but I am worried about him._

_Anyway, how are you doing, Professor? I hope we can see each other someday too. Our DADA teacher this year is Mad-Eye Moody, and although he knows what he’s talking about, I still miss you in the school._

_All the best,_

_Harry Potter._

Harry finished his letter and the next day went to the Owlery with Ron and Hermione to send it. They also sent a letter to Percy asking him about Mr. Crouch because Sirius suggested they would do that. On their way back, they stopped in the kitchens to give Dobby his new socks, which Dobby was ecstatic about. They also tried to get information on Mr. Crouch from Winky but it was no use because she wouldn’t stop crying.

Viktor Krum joined them for dinner that evening but he didn’t say a word to anyone. He seemed content however that he was sharing a meal with them. He kept stealing glances at Hermione and she pretended not to notice. Harry and Ron tried to break the awkwardness by talking.

“Did you talk to Cedric about the article?” Ron asked.

“Yeah, he talked to me,” Harry mumbled. “Apparently his dad will not be happy about it, he doesn’t like me.”

“Well that’s not your problem,” Ron shrugged. “Cedric is okay, though?”

“Yeah. But I think it’s better if I don’t drag him more into this.”

“Oh, so you decided to stop being friends with him? How’s that gonna work?”

“Not that. Just wanted to give him some space from me, you know.”

“That’s stupid,” Ron chuckled.

“I agree with Ron,” Hermione joined. “I don’t think that’s a good way to go about it, Harry. It was just an article, that wasn’t true.”

“Some of it was true. I don’t know how she saw us leaving the kitchens, no one was around.”

“That troubles me too,” Hermione said. “She heard when Viktor and I talked after the second task, no one was there to hear either,” Krum nodded at that but didn’t say anything.

“I just think it’s better if I’m more careful. I’ll try not to give Skeeter more material on her romance novels,” Harry said.

“If you think so,” Ron shrugged. “But she’ll always find something. Next thing you know, she writes about you and me,” he laughed.

“Very funny, Ron,” Harry said.

But Harry kept to his decision to give Cedric space. He caught his gaze from time to time in the Great Hall but Harry always just looked away. _It’s for the best,_ he thought. _If there should be an article about Cedric and someone, it should be about him and Cho. Or there should just be an article about Cedric and how good he is. Or there should be no article about anyone._ So Harry kept mostly to himself. Ron and Hermione stopped trying to get him to talk to Cedric because he never listened to them anyway. And Cedric seemed to get the message too and soon stopped looking at Harry altogether. _It’s for the best_ , Harry kept repeating to himself.

_It’s for the best._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So Harry is dumb but I love him anyway.  
> I wanted to focus on him dealing with so many things that sometimes he is bit slow in other aspects of his life, I guess.   
> I hope you guys liked it, thank you again for reading :)


	5. Almost done

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Letters are exchanged. Harry is an idiot.

Harry’s mood was getting worse and worse every day. Hermione started getting very nasty anonymous letters and Harry felt responsible. He wanted to stop it but didn’t know how to. Hate mail continued coming not only to Hermione. Harry himself received some terrible letters that told him that he’s probably trying to poison Cedric Diggory with love potion or that Cedric only talks to him because he feels sorry for him. Harry hoped that Cedric was not getting any letters like that but kept to not talking to him so he never found out. They were awaiting Percy’s reply and when it came it was very short and irritable. It didn’t help them to gain any more information on Mr. Crouch. Harry also soon after that received Lupin’s reply.

_Dear Harry,_

_I’m glad to hear from you. No need to call me professor anymore – you can call me Remus. First of all, thank you for your letter. I am doing quite okay; I hope you’re doing well too._

_Padfoot is getting more and more irresponsible. But don’t worry, I’m not going to tell on you. Yes, I’ve been trying to get him to settle but he couldn’t stay in one place even when we were in school. But I think I can persuade him soon to give it a chance. He’ll get tired of eating rats all the time soon enough. I’m not supposed to tell you yet but I’ve been talking to Dumbledore, and if all goes well, you might not have to stay the whole summer with the Dursleys. You might be able to spend part of your summer with Padfoot and me, if the dog stops being so stubborn, that is. And if you’d like to, of course. But don’t tell Dumbledore I told you yet._

_Anyway, I hope you’re getting on well with school and also with the Tournament. I’ve been keeping up with the Daily Prophet and I know there’s mostly rubbish, but it’s my only source on your wellbeing. Please be careful, Harry. I know it’s easier said than done, especially in your case. Trust your friends and keep them close. I know that when I was going through a hard time in school, having people to turn to helped me a lot. Now I wasn’t in a deathly tournament but being a werewolf and all kind of takes it out of you too._

_Please keep me updated._

_Cheers,_

_Remus._

The letter from Lupin cheered Harry up a bit and he was excited at the prospect of spending summer with him and Sirius. He told Ron and Hermione immediately.

“That’s great, mate,” Ron said.

“But Harry, do you think it’s a good idea? If Dumbledore doesn’t approve then that tells you something,” Hermione said.

“I don’t care what Dumbledore thinks. If he thinks that it’s the best for me to stay with the Dursleys then he obviously doesn’t know much. I’d like to see him try staying there for at least a day.”

“I’d love it if you could stay somewhere else, I’m just saying you shouldn’t get too excited just yet, Harry,” Hermione said.

But Harry paid it no attention. He got to writing Lupin a reply as soon as he could. He was determined to hold onto this little light in his life at least. Besides, why should Dumbledore decide where Harry stayed? If he was so worried about him, maybe he should let him stay in Hogwarts for the summer.

_Dear Remus_

_Thank you for your letter, it eased my mind a bit. I can’t even say how much I’d love to stay with you and Padfoot for the summer. I hope I’ll be able to. So far, I’m surviving the tournament and all that’s happening around it but I can’t wait for it to be over. Ron and Hermione have been a great help to me, both in the tournament and in my life and I’m glad I have them as friends. Cedric Diggory’s been really helpful too but ever since the article came out about him and me, I’m trying to give him some space. After all, he’s not used to being friends with someone like me. I hope I don’t sound like I pity myself. I’m doing okay overall, I think._

_I’ll keep you updated if anything unusual happens._

_All the best,_

_Harry._

Harry still kept to his decision not to talk to Cedric. He didn’t want to admit it but he missed the Hufflepuff boy. Cedric always made it easier for Harry to open up, to voice his worries and to understand his thoughts. Now he came back to hold a lot of things inside of him and his mind was just a mess. But he was sure that Cedric’s life was easier now without Harry. He kept seeing Cedric in the Great Hall and sometimes they would lock eyes, or in Hogsmeade, where Cedric was usually with Cho. But Harry never approached him and Cedric didn’t either. Harry was trying to focus on other things and soon he found himself being invested in studying again. Ron wasn’t too happy about that because that meant he had to put the effort into studying too. Hermione, on the other hand, was thrilled for Harry’s sudden interest. Sometimes, Viktor Krum would join them during their meals in the Great Hall, and although he never said much, Harry grew to kind of like the boy. Harry still had trouble with appetite and if it wasn’t for Ron and Hermione constantly shoving food on his plate, he would probably barely eat. But he was convinced he was getting better.

All of a sudden it was May and Harry felt the dread of the third task slowly coming back to him. He was trying not to think about it but the time flew by too quickly for his liking. _It’s okay, just one down and then it’s done,_ Harry was assuring himself every day as the third task approached. Soon enough, Professor McGonagall was telling him to go to the Quidditch pitch in the evening because Ludo Bagman was about to tell them more information on the third task. When he left the dormitory that evening and headed to the Quidditch pitch, he ran into Cedric as he was leaving the Hufflepuff common room. Harry got very scared suddenly. He almost forgot that by being in the tournament he would have to face Cedric eventually. He wanted to hide so Cedric wouldn’t notice him but the boy has already waved at him.

“What d’you reckon it’s going to be?” he asked Harry as they walked together. “Fleur keeps going on about underground tunnels, she reckons we’ve got to find treasure,” Cedric’s voice sounded very formal to Harry. The usual kindness that was there was now gone. And it felt like Cedric was trying to fill the silence.

“That wouldn’t be too bad,” Harry said and tried to sound normal but his voice did shake a little bit.

They walked to the Quidditch pitch that was now completely gone. Instead, it was covered with hedges. Cedric wasn’t all too happy about the state of it and Harry wasn’t either but tried not to let his disappointment to show.

“Listen, Harry,” Cedric said before they got to the others. “Can we talk later?”

“I-I don’t think-,” Harry stuttered.

“Please,” Cedric urged and Harry looked at him properly.

Cedric’s eyes looked very sad and they were pleading Harry to talk to him. _I’m so stupid,_ Harry thought suddenly. Before he could say anything, however, the others had joined them and Ludo Bagman started explaining the third task. Going through a maze did sound a lot better than being underwater for a whole hour. Harry was still anxious about it, however. But he felt a little bit more confident than with the other tasks. When Bagman stopped talking, Harry wanted to speak to Cedric but was taken away by Viktor Krum. Krum wanted to speak to him privately, to Bagman’s dismay, and Harry reluctantly agreed. _Why does everyone want to talk to me now?_ Harry wondered, annoyed. He and Krum walked towards the forest which made Harry a bit uneasy. _I thought he was nice, is he going to kill me and leave me here?_ He thought. But Krum only wanted to know if there was anything between him and Hermione, which Harry assured him there wasn’t. _Not like he could’ve asked me that over dinner or something._ They started talking about Quidditch but then were interrupted when Mr. Crouch appeared in the trees. He was talking but none of it made sense and Harry tried to help him. Mr. Crouch was unable to get anywhere so it was decided that Krum would wait with him in the forest while Harry went to get Dumbledore.

When Harry finally managed to get Dumbledore and explained everything, it was too late. They got back to find Viktor Krum stunned and Mr. Crouch has gone. Harry was very confused but before he could collect himself he was escorted to the Gryffindor common room by Hagrid. He quickly went to Ron and Hermione to tell them everything that happened.

They went to the Owlery the next day to send a note to Sirius and Remus and discussed the whole thing. Mr. Crouch didn’t make much sense the night before but Harry was still very anxious about him mentioning Voldemort. Ron and Hermione tried to assure him that Mr. Crouch was out of his mind and Harry has nothing to worry about but even they sounded like they didn’t believe it. Harry got brought back to worrying about the thirds task by Moody who ordered all of them to practice spells as much as they could. Harry didn’t have time to think about much else, completely forgot about Cedric wanting to talk to him the day before until he saw him at dinner. He felt terrible. He was not being a good friend and as soon as he realised it all these other things happened for him to worry about. It was exhausting. But he didn’t want to apologise to Cedric only to complain to him about all of it. That wouldn’t be fair. So he resumed again to not talking to him. _Great, Harry, good job, nothing like ignoring the problem to solve it,_ he thought to himself.

Sirius replied to Harry the next morning basically telling him that it was very stupid of Harry to wander off to the Forest with Krum. It annoyed Harry, he wasn’t used to anyone being worried about him. And after all, Sirius was very irresponsible himself so it was very hypocritical of him. But he still wrote back to Sirius to assure him he’s going to be more careful. Remus’s reply came later that day and was quite similar to Sirius’ reaction.

_Dear Harry_

_I’m very disappointed. You should know better than to wander off like that. Do you not realise the danger? Someone put you in the Tournament for a reason and it wasn’t for you to win a prize, believe me. Each year your life has been endangered by something but you still go off to the Forest like it was a fun park! What happened with Mr. Crouch is very troubling indeed but you are fourteen for Merlin’s sake, you can’t solve this. So please don’t try to._

_Anyway, Pads has already complained to me about this situation and I’m sure he gave you his “worried parent” letter. I’m sorry if it annoys you but we’re worried about you. You mean a lot to Padfoot and me too so please be more responsible with your life._

_Thank you for letting me know, however. I want to tell you something positive as well, you’ve been through a lot. I’m sure it will make you happy that I convinced the old dog to finally move into his old house. He will do so in about a month, Dumbledore is having some Aurors to ward it properly. He only agreed on the condition that I will live there with him so he doesn’t die of boredom. Not sure I am the best company for that, but oh well. Don’t tell Dumbledore I told you, he doesn’t want you to be distracted by something else. Pads wanted me to tell you because he was being the strict parent and didn’t want to lose his image, I guess._

_Please keep me updated._

_All the best,_

_Remus._

At least that was something that made Harry happy. Harry sent him a quick reply to assure him he’ll be more careful as well and to let him know how happy he was about the news. For the next few days, Harry, Ron, and Hermione spent a lot of time in the library, learning new spells and hexes that Harry could use in the third task. Harry was getting worried about the third task again so he practiced spells whenever he could. That meant that he wasn’t getting enough sleep once more. That only led to him falling asleep in the Divination class. Harry had a terrible dream about Voldemort talking to Wormtail and torturing him, which sent horrible pain to Harry’s scar. He woke up to find out everyone in the class standing over him and looking at him with worried expressions. Ignoring everyone’s questions about it, Harry set off to go see Dumbledore. Sirius told him in one of his letters that if Harry’s scar starts hurting again he should immediately inform Dumbledore so Harry decided to listen.

When he got to Dumbledore’s office, there was some sort of meeting. Moody was there and also Fudge, the Minister of Magic. Dumbledore ordered Harry to wait for him in the office and left with the others to examine the grounds. Harry tried not to snoop around, he really did. But somehow he managed to find some strange basin filled with a very strange substance. Before Harry knew it he was suddenly transported to a different room. He was sitting on a bench and around him, there were many other people, as well as Albus Dumbledore. But no one seemed to see him. It was like he was a ghost. He was watching the scene unfold in front of him. Karkaroff was there but he was not looking like himself at all. He was desperately naming Voldemort’s supporters. Then Ludo Bagman was there too, being questioned, which surprised Harry. Before Harry could think about it more, there was another scene unfolding in front of him. There was a young man brought in by the Dementors and he turned out to be Mr. Crouch’s son. The boy was screaming and fighting off the Dementors but it was decided he was going to be sent to Azkaban. Harry then heard a faint voice of Albus Dumbledore calling him back to the office.

Harry felt ashamed and he apologised but Dumbledore wasn’t upset with him. He explained how the Pensieve worked and Harry found it fascinating. He almost wished he had one for himself. Harry then proceeded to tell Dumbledore about his dream.

“I see,” said Dumbledore quietly. “I see. Now, has your scar hurt at any other time this year, excepting the time it woke you up over the summer?”

“No, I – how did you know it woke me up over the summer?” said Harry.

“You are not Sirius’ only correspondent,” said Dumbledore. “I have also been in contact with him ever since he left Hogwarts last year. I don’t want you to get too distracted but arrangements are being made for Sirius to live in his old house. I didn’t agree at first to this but after I gave it some more thought, I think it might be for the best. Remus agreed to keep an eye on him too.”

“That’s great, thank you, Professor,” Harry said.

Harry didn’t say that he already knew about it or didn’t try to ask about the summer. He trusted Remus and Sirius to tell him soon enough. Dumbledore then told Harry more about Voldemort and what it was like before he lost power. They talked also about the court scene that Harry saw in the Pensieve. Harry asked about Neville’s parents because they were mentioned in the court with Mr. Crouch’s son and Dumbledore explained what happened to them. Harry felt ashamed that he never tried to talk to Neville about it but then it wasn’t exactly a topic that Neville would probably want to discuss either. _Maybe I should try to be a better friend to him,_ Harry thought. After all, Neville was a very nice boy; Harry just wasn’t that close to him and maybe he should try. He just wasn’t really good at getting close to people. His friendship with Ron and Hermione just sort of happened. When he was younger, he never had friends so he wasn’t sure how he was supposed to make them unless people approached him themselves, as Cedric did.

Harry left Dumbledore’s office with more questions than before. He later told everything about Voldemort to Ron and Hermione and wrote a letter to Sirius and Remus. They discussed the matter but didn’t come up with anything that would ease Harry’s mind. For the next few days, they mostly focused on schoolwork and practising spells for the third task. Harry was worried that Ron and Hermione didn’t have enough time to study for their exams because they were helping him all the time. Hermione kept assuring him that they’d be fine but Harry still felt bid bad for taking their time.

Soon enough May turned into June and Harry was getting more and more anxious. He was feeling a lot more confident about the third task than about the last two but he was still worried. Harry was in touch with Sirius more than ever now, as his godfather wanted Harry to be focused on the third task. Sirius still hadn’t mentioned anything about moving in the old house and Harry thought it was probably because he didn’t want Harry to be distracted. Remus in his letter claimed that Sirius was still sulking a bit about it.

On the morning of the third task, Harry was, of course, anxious. But he felt that he prepared as much as he could. At breakfast, he ate a little bit but his appetite was taken away suddenly by the new copy of the _Daily Prophet_ that talked about his dream in Divination class. Hermione was then determined to find out how Skeeter got to know all the information she wrote about and she set off to the library to check something. Harry wanted to go to classes with Ron but Professor McGonagall came to inform him that the champions were gathering with their families. Harry followed her but was very confused. _Surely the Dursleys are not here,_ he thought. _Maybe they wanted to make sure I will die so they came to watch it._ The other champions followed them to the side chamber as well. Harry fell into step with Cedric who was oddly quiet.

“Cedric,” Harry began quietly.

“I read the article this morning,” Cedric said before Harry could continue. “Are you okay?”

“Yes, don’t worry about that,” Harry said. “Look, I’m sorry about everything.”

“Yeah, that’s alright, I guess,” Cedric shrugged.

“No, it’s not. I know I’ve been acting like an idiot. But I thought if I give you some space it was going to be better, somehow.”

“Harry, if you’re friends with someone, you just don’t get to decide on your own to stop the friendship without saying anything. It’s not very nice,” Cedric said with a sigh. “I was worried about you.”

“I know and I’m sorry. Can we talk properly after everything is over? Please?”

“If you promise you’ll actually talk to me this time.”

“I promise,” Harry said.

“Okay,” Cedric smiled. “We’ll talk later.”

They got inside the room and Cedric immediately went to his parents. And Harry was surprised to see Mrs. Weasley and Bill waiting for him by the fireplace. And behind them was hiding Remus Lupin, who looked quite shy to be there, and next to him was standing a large black dog. Harry beamed at all of them, he felt all warm inside.

“Surprise!” Mrs. Weasley said excitedly. “Thought we’d come and watch you, Harry!” She bent down and kissed him on the cheek.

“You all right?” said Bill, grinning at Harry and shaking his hand. “Charlie wanted to come, but he couldn’t get the time off. He said you were incredible against the Horntail.”

“This is really nice of you,” Harry said and then Padfoot jumped at him. “Hello, Padfoot,” Harry smiled and hugged the dog.

“I’m sorry to interrupt your family moment, Harry,” Remus said. “It’s just the only way he could’ve come. It would be quite weird if the dog showed on its own,” he whispered.

“You’re my family too, Remus,” Harry smiled. “I’m glad you’re all here.”

“Padfoot and I can’t actually stay to see the task, it would be too dangerous,” Remus said apologetically.

“It’s okay,” Harry said with a smile.

“Fancy giving us a tour, Harry?” said Bill.

“Yeah, okay,” said Harry and they made their way towards the Great Hall. On their way, they passed Cedric’s family and Amos Diggory wasted no time in telling Harry off for all the articles in the Daily Prophet.

“Bet you’re not feeling quite full of yourself now that Cedric’s caught you up on point, are you?”

“What?” said Harry.

“Ignore him,” Cedric whispered and shot his father a glare.

“Then having the audacity to drag Cedric into your nonsense. Can’t think of any more ways to get interesting, can you?”

“Dad, you know the Prophet will say anything,” Cedric said.

“Well, he didn’t bother to fix it, has he?” said Amos Diggory. “Still, you’ll show him, Ced. Beaten him once before, haven’t you?”

Mrs. Weasley was telling Amos Diggory off and Cedric looked very ashamed. Harry gave him a small smile to assure him it was okay. Cedric then noticed Remus behind Harry and looked surprised.

“Hello, Professor,” he said. “It’s nice to see you. I didn’t know you and Harry were this close.”

“No need to call me Professor anymore, Cedric,” Remus smiled kindly. “Well, yes. Harry is quite fond of my old dog so I thought we’d stop by to cheer him up. But we can’t stay to watch you all I’m afraid.”

“Oh, what’s his name?” Cedric asked as he bent down to scratch Padfoot behind his ears.

“Padfoot,” Harry smiled. “I think he likes you.”

“He likes anyone that gives him attention,” Remus said, amused. Sirius, in fact, looked like he was quite enjoying himself.

Harry then left Cedric with his family and went to walk around the grounds with Bill, Mrs. Weasley, Remus, and Padfoot. He showed them the Beauxbatons carriage and the Durmstrang ship. Mrs. Weasley was particularly interested in the Whomping Willow, which has been planted after she left school. He talked mainly with Bill and Mrs. Weasley, Remus was keeping quiet and walked behind them, and Padfoot was just running alongside Harry. But still, he was glad they all were there. He wondered how much persuading had to be done so Dumbledore would let Sirius into the school.

They returned to the castle for lunch and Ron was very surprised to see his mother and brother there. She immediately questioned Ron about his exams, which made him a bit uneasy. The other Weasleys soon joined them and Harry felt like he was home. He kept feeding Padfoot under the table, to which Remus reacted by only giving Harry a kind smirk. Hermione turned up later only to greet everyone and apologise that she was not going to have lunch with them. Viktor Krum wanted her to have lunch with him and his family and she agreed. She seemed a bit nervous about it but Harry thought it was a nice idea. Ron seemed a bit disappointed at that but didn’t say anything. Mrs. Weasley, on the other hand, was quite cold towards Hermione.

“Mrs. Weasley, you didn’t believe that rubbish Rita Skeeter wrote in _Witch Weekly_ , did you? Because Hermione’s not my girlfriend.”

“Oh!” said Mrs. Weasley. “No – of course, I didn’t!”

“And he wasn’t trying to find refuge with Cedric Diggory either, Mom,” Ron said.

“Well, I figured that out. That poor boy must have had hell from his father for that,” Mrs. Weasley said.

“What do you mean?” asked Harry.

“Amos Diggory is a very nice man,” she said. “But he is way too strict on that boy. And I don’t think he’s very fond of you, Harry. But I gave him a piece of my mind about that already.”

Harry only smiled at that. He would have to ask Cedric about his dad later, even though it might be a touchy subject. He didn’t want to stir any problems between Cedric and his family but Amos Diggory was never too friendly to Harry. Not that Harry minded that much; he didn’t even know the man. But Cedric did seem troubled by it. _I wonder what their relationship is like,_ he thought. It suddenly came to his realisation that probably not everyone had a good relationship with their parents. Not like the Weasleys did anyway. But he didn’t get in contact with many examples so how could he know? _Maybe use your common sense next time, Harry, if you have some,_ he thought to himself.

After lunch, they continued to walk around the castle and came back for the evening feast. Harry noticed that that the staff table was now joined by Ludo Bagman and Cornelius Fudge as well. The feast was grand but Harry was suddenly very nervous and couldn’t eat one bit. He completely forgot about the task during the day as the day was quite pleasant with the Weasleys, Remus, and Padfoot. Padfoot was nudging him to eat but Harry couldn’t. It was almost time for Remus and Padfoot to go so they took Harry aside to the corridor to say goodbye.

“Well, it’s time for us to go, Harry,” Remus said and Padfoot whined. “I know you will do great but good luck anyway.”

“Thank you,” Harry smiled. “And thank you for coming to see me. Both of you.”

“I know the Weasleys are like your family but you could think of us as your weird old uncles,” Remus chuckled.

“You’re not that old,” Harry smirked. “Do you know anything more about the summer or am I not supposed to ask?” he asked and Padfoot growled disapprovingly.

“Don’t get too excited, alright. It’s still on the thin ice. But we’ve been finally able to move into the old house so now we’re trying to make it more liveable, I guess. But if Dumbledore approves, you might be able to spend the second half of summer with us at least.”

“That would be great,” Harry said excitedly.

“But as I said, don’t have high hopes. I don’t want you to be too disappointed if it doesn’t work out, okay?”

“Yeah, I know,” Harry smiled.

“Okay, we really have to go now. And you need to get ready. So be careful, please, okay? And write to us as soon as you can,” Remus said and hugged Harry. Padfoot jumped on Harry again and Harry hugged him too.

“Thank you, I will,” Harry said.

Remus and Padfoot left then and Harry went back to the Great Hall. Soon, Dumbledore announced that it was time for the champions to go to the stadium. The Weasleys and Hermione wished him good luck and Harry joined the other champions to walk down.

“Feeling okay?” Cedric asked as they walked.

“Nervous. But better than the last two, I guess. You?”

“Pretty much the same as you,” he said. “Had a nice day then?”

“Yeah, I didn’t expect anyone to show up for me. I was scared at first my Muggle relatives would be there.”

“They wouldn’t want to see you?”

“Probably just to make sure that I will die and they would finally have some peace,” Harry chuckled but Cedric didn’t say anything. _Shouldn’t have said that now it’s awkward,_ Harry thought. “How was your day?”

“Alright. My dad needs to calm down a bit but it was okay.”

There wasn’t much more space to talk as they finally reached the stadium. Soon other people were coming to watch and it was about to start.

 _Okay, this is it,_ Harry thought. _Just this one and it’s done._

_This one and I’ll have some peace._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you so much for reading and all the nice responses to the fic! :)
> 
> The next one will be the Third Task which will stir things up bit more.


	6. Terror and Comfort

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Another major trauma happens in Harry's life. We all saw it coming but he did not.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> *dramatic voice* peace was never an option!!
> 
> So there is a lot of text taken from the actual book here, I'm sorry about that. I didn't want to just write: and Harry did the task and fought Voldemort. You know? So we're going through it. There are changes though, obviously. It gets dramatic and then it's soft, so don't worry. I'm a big softie.

“So ... on my whistle, Harry and Cedric!” said Bagman. “Three – two – one –“

And Harry found himself in the maze. The hedges were towering over him and the path closed behind him. Harry gulped; the same feeling as in the second task overpowered him. The feeling of being trapped. Which now he technically was. He cast _Lumos_ and heard Cedric do the same behind him. They didn’t speak to each other, almost afraid that would trigger something in the maze. Only when they reached a fork, Harry dared to speak.

“See you,” he whispered and before he took the left turn, Cedric squeezed his hand and smiled.

Harry heard the whistle in the distance which meant that Krum had entered the maze. He tried to speed up but he felt very disoriented. He kept going but there was nothing to see so far. But Harry’s bad feeling increased with every step. _Calm down, it’s like the tasks before,_ he kept thinking to himself. He heard the last whistle in the distance now, which meant that Fleur had entered the maze.

Harry kept turning to see if anyone was behind him but there was nothing. He just kept going but felt very weird. _I’m just going crazy, it’s fine._ He kept going and going and there was still nothing, which he found odd. _I should’ve met something by now, they’re not just going to let us go for a stroll here._ But he knew he shouldn’t get comfortable in the maze, not that it was possible to feel comfortable there. Suddenly, he heard a movement behind him. He turned, ready to attack but lowered his wand as soon as he saw it was Cedric. He looked severely shaken which wasn’t common for the boy and Harry’s bad feeling increased.

“Hagrid’s Blast-Ended Skrewts!” he hissed. “They’re enormous – I only just got away!”

“Are you okay?” Harry asked worriedly.

“As much as I can be,” Cedric shrugged and smiled. Then he waved at Harry as he dived out of sight, along another path.

Harry then continued, and when he turned the corner a Dementor was gliding towards him. At first, he cast the _Patronus_ but soon enough realised it was a boggart and cast _Riddikulus._ Harry continued on his way, trying to aim for the centre of the maze. It was quiet for a long time but then a scream sent shivers to Harry’s spine. _That’s Fleur,_ Harry thought immediately and started running towards the scream. He ran through an enchanted mist that made everything upside-down. Harry was hanging from the ground, his glasses almost fell but he caught them. He was terrified. It felt like any moment he was going to fall into the bottomless sky. He was too afraid to move but didn’t know what else he could do. So he closed his eyes and tried to take a step forward. The spell was immediately gone and Harry fell on the ground. He felt the grass for a bit to make sure this was real now before he got up and started walking again.

He couldn’t find Fleur anywhere and didn’t want to think about what could have happened to her. Harry kept thinking about how it would feel to win the tournament. He admitted, he’s gotten quite far so maybe his chances weren’t as shallow as he thought. _I don’t deserve it, though,_ he thought immediately. _I’ve had help and I wasn’t even supposed to be here. Let’s just focus on finishing._ He continued walking and hasn’t met anything for a while. He took several wrong turns and ended up having to go back. Then he turned a corner and came face to face with a Blast-Ended Skrewt, which was enormous. Harry wasn’t very good against the Skrewt but he managed to jinx it, which allowed him to run away. _Nothing will show your wizard skills like a good run, great job, Harry, you’re such a child,_ he thought as he was running between the hedges. He was running for a while but then he heard something which made him stop dead.

“What are you doing?” yelled Cedric’s voice. “What the hell d’you think you’re doing?”

And then Harry heard Krum’s voice.

“ _Crucio!_ ”

The air was suddenly full of Cedric’s yells and Harry felt his heart sink low in his body. _Cedric,_ he thought but then realised he yelled his name out loud, terrified. He ran towards the yells, frantically. _Please be okay, please be okay,_ he kept thinking. He finally got to them and saw Cedric twitching on the ground and Krum standing over him. Harry pointed his wand at Krum, who looked at him. There was something weird in his eyes as if it wasn’t him at all. Krum started to run away but Harry managed to curse _Stupefy_ at him and he fell on the ground and lay there motionlessly. Harry rushed towards Cedric and helped him up; he stopped twitching but was still slightly shaking.

“Are you alright?” Harry asked, his voice trembling.

“Yeah,” panted Cedric. “Yeah ... I don’t believe it ... he crept up behind me ... I heard him, I turned around, and he had his wand on me ...”

Harry felt Cedric still shaking from the curse. He felt weird. He felt still so scared for the older boy but at the same time relieved he was alright. It was a confusing feeling. Before Harry could think it through, he lunged himself towards Cedric and hugged him as tightly as he could, almost squishing him.

“Oh, hey there,” Cedric yelped in surprise. “It’s okay, Harry, I’m okay,” he said but brought his arms around Harry as well and hugged him as tightly.

They stood there like that for some time. Harry didn’t know if it was a few seconds or several minutes but he didn’t want to let go. Neither of them said anything for a while either.

“Come on,” Cedric broke the silence eventually. “We ought to do something about him before he wakes up,” he said, motioning to Krum.

“Er, yeah,” Harry let go of him, suddenly feeling so cold. “Did you hear Fleur scream earlier?” he asked.

“Yeah,” said Cedric. “You don’t think Krum got her, too?”

“I don’t know,” said Harry slowly.

“Should we leave him here?” Cedric muttered.

“No,” said Harry. “I reckon we should send up red sparks. Someone will come and collect him. There was something weird about him like he wasn’t himself.”

“Okay,” Cedric shrugged and raised his wand and shot a shower of red sparks into the air.

They stood there for a while until Cedric cleared his throat and said, “Well, I suppose we’d better go on ...”

“What?” said Harry. “Oh ... yeah ... right ...”

It was strange. Harry at that moment wanted nothing more than crawling in his bed. They walked together for a while, neither of them saying anything, and then they got to another fork.

“I think we should split up again,” Cedric said and Harry nodded. “Be careful.”

“You too,” Harry said, his voice trembling again.

“We’ll talk later, okay,” Cedric smiled and hugged Harry briefly again.

“Yes,” Harry said and then they parted.

It was between him and Cedric now but Harry didn’t want to win. If anyone deserved it was Cedric. He continued walking and eventually got to a sphinx. “You are very near your goal. The quickest way is past me.”

“So ... so will you move, please?” said Harry and already knew that was a very stupid question.

“No,” she said. “Not unless you can answer my riddle. Answer on your first guess – I let you pass. Answer wrongly – I attack. Remain silent – I will let you walk away from me, unscathed.”

Harry felt nervous. He wasn’t good with riddles or anything remotely logical. The sphinx then proceeded to tell him the riddle and Harry felt lost. He asked her to tell it again, more slowly, so he could focus better. Harry was thinking out loud, repeating the poem to himself as he went. _This is it, you’re going to be defeated in the Tournament by a riddle,_ he thought. Eventually, he guessed spider and to his surprise it was right.

So he continued walking through the maze until, suddenly, the Triwizard Cup was gleaming at him. He started to run towards it and then he saw Cedric doing the same from another path. He knew Cedric was going to get there first, he was taller and faster, but Harry ran anyway, trying his best. Then Harry noticed something going after Cedric, who was now focused only on the Cup.

“Cedric!” Harry bellowed. “On your left!”

Cedric avoided the thing that was going after him but managed to trip and his wand flew out of his hand. A gigantic spider stepped into the path and began to bear down upon Cedric. Harry cast _Stupefy_ at the spider but that only made it turn around and run towards him instead. Harry tried other spells but nothing seemed to work. Suddenly, he was in the spider’s pincers and terrible pain. He heard Cedric shouting spells from the distance but nothing worked. Harry managed to raise his wand in the end and cast _Expelliarmus_. The spider dropped him and Harry fell on his already injured leg. Both Harry and Cedric now cast _Stupefy_ on the spider and it finally worked.

“Harry!” he heard Cedric shouting. “You all right? Did it fall on you?”

“No,” Harry called back, panting.

His leg was bleeding badly. When he tried to get up it was shaking and he had to lean against the hedge to hold himself. He looked around and saw Cedric close to the Cup but the boy was looking at Harry instead.

“Take it then,” Harry panted. “Go on, take it. You’re there.”

“You should take it. You should win. That’s twice you’ve saved my neck in here,” Cedric said.

“Stop being so fair all the time, that’s not how it’s supposed to work,” Harry panted. “I can’t walk properly anyway, so I’m not going to win any races.”

“No,” he said. “You deserve to win, after everything.”

“Just take it, Cedric,” Harry said. “If I win they’ll call me a fraud anyway.”

“No,” said Cedric again.

“Just take the Cup, for Merlin’s sake!”

“No,” Cedric said and walked towards Harry now. He put Harry’s arm around his shoulder so Harry was leaning on him. “Go on,” he said and walked towards the Cup with Harry. “Take it now.”

Harry looked at Cedric’s face and something shifted inside him. He felt Cedric’s hand holding him by his waist and it was warm. He looked at the Cup that was shining at them but then he looked back at Cedric.

“Both of us,” Harry said.

“What?” Cedric looked at him, confused.

“We’ll take it at the same time. It’s still a Hogwarts victory. We’ll tie for it.”

“You – you sure?”

“Yeah,” said Harry. “Yeah ... we’ve helped each other out, haven’t we? We both got here. Let’s just take it together.”

Cedric was looking at Harry for a moment as if searching something in his face, then he grinned and Harry felt his heart warming up. He grabbed Harry more tightly and they moved towards the Cup together.

“On three, right?” said Harry. “One – two – three –“

They both grasped the handle.

Harry felt his stomach twirl as they were pulled somewhere by the Cup. He slammed into the ground and he let go of the Cup. He felt Cedric by his side, still holding him.

“Where are we?” he said.

Cedric just shook his head and helped Harry up. Everything felt strange to Harry. The place was definitely far away from Hogwarts. They looked around and realised they were in a graveyard.

“Did anyone tell you the Cup was a Portkey?” Cedric asked.

“Nope,” said Harry.

They took out their wands just to be safe. Harry felt very nervous. He wasn’t sure if this was supposed to be part of the task. He had a feeling they were being watched.

“Someone’s coming,” he said. “I think we should get out.”

Cedric sent him a puzzled look but seemed nervous as well. They saw a figure approaching them but it was dark so they couldn’t make out a face. The figure was clearly carrying something. Harry’s scar exploded with pain suddenly as the figure was approaching closely. _Oh no, please no,_ he thought. He fell to his knees and Cedric rushed towards him.

“You have to go,” Harry panted but Cedric didn’t move from his side.

Then they heard a voice from far away that sent shivers to Harry’s spine. _“Kill the spare.”_ And then it was followed by: _“Avada Kedavra!”_

Harry tried to push Cedric away but it was no use, the spell hit him to his side and Harry heard him fall to the ground. _No, no, no!_ He thought to himself but again realised he was screaming it. He felt tears in his eyes and his head felt like it was about to burst with pain. Cedric’s body lay lifeless on the ground. He wanted to run towards him to make sure it was real, that he was really dead, but he felt his body being pulled to his feet. He was dragged towards the marble headstone, which belonged to Tom Riddle. Then the man was conjuring tight cords around Harry and tying him to the headstone. Harry noticed that the man had a finger missing. It was Wormtail.

Harry couldn’t move and everything hurt. Harry wasn’t sure what was happening or how fast but next thing he knew there was a huge cauldron full of water. Wormtail put flames underneath the cauldron with his wand and the water soon started to boil.

“It is ready, master,” said Wormtail.

“Now ...” said the cold voice.

Wormtail then dropped this creature that he’d been carrying to the cauldron. It looked like a child but almost not human. Wormtail was speaking and Harry tried to focus but couldn’t. Dust from the grave flew into the air and dropped into the cauldron. Then Wormtail took a dagger and cut off his right hand which fell directly to the cauldron. Wormtail’s scream filled the graveyard and Harry couldn’t bear to look at the scene any longer. But then Wormtail was right in front of him. His dagger cut through his sleeve and then blood was running down Harry’s right arm. Wormtail took his blood and poured it into the cauldron as well.

And then Lord Voldemort had risen again.

Harry felt so sick. _This is just a nightmare, let this be a nightmare, please,_ he kept thinking and didn’t dare to look anywhere. He didn’t dare to look at Voldemort, or Wormtail or Cedric. His scar was in horrible pain he almost felt numb by this point. Voldemort was talking to Harry now but it felt as if he was cutting him from the inside out. He was talking about his family and Harry wasn’t sure why he didn’t kill him yet. Then the Death Eaters arrived at the graveyard and Voldemort’s attention was at them.

“Harry Potter has kindly joined us for my rebirthing party. One might go so far to call him my guest of honour,” Voldemort said and that brought Harry’s attention back to them. “You know, of course, that they have called this boy my downfall? You all know that on the night I lost my powers and my body, I tried to kill him. His mother died in an attempt to save him – and unwittingly provided him with a protection I admit I had not foreseen ... I could not touch the boy.”

Voldemort raised one of his long fingers and put it very close to Harry’s cheek. “His mother left upon him the traces of her sacrifice ... this is old magic, I should have remembered it, I was foolish to overlook it ... but no matter. I can touch him now.”

Harry felt the tip of the finger touch him and he thought he was going to burst with pain. His head didn’t even feel like it was there anymore. Voldemort was talking again but Harry couldn’t hear through the pain. The next thing he registered was Voldemort casting _Crucio_ at him and he was in more pain if that was even possible. Then he was being untied and given his wand. He was face to face with Voldemort, who wanted them to duel.

Everything then happened so fast. As Harry shouted “ _Expelliarmus!_ ”, Voldemort cried, “ _Avada Kedavra!”_ and the green light from Voldemort’s wand met with the red light from Harry’s in the middle. They were both being suddenly raised to the air and there was a light-spun web vibrating around them. And then Harry heard music that told him not to break the connection. And then beads of light were flying out of Voldemort’s wand. They were ghosts surrounding them now, a ghost of an old man, then a ghost of Bertha Jorkins and then there were ghosts of his parents. There was no sign of Cedric’s ghost but Harry didn’t give it much thought, he was trying to focus hard on the connection.

“When the connection is broken, we will linger for only moments ... but we will give you time ... you must get to the Portkey ... it will return you to Hogwarts ... do you understand, Harry?”

“Yes,” Harry gasped.

“Do it now,” whispered his father’s voice. “Be ready to run ... do it now ...”

And then Harry ran, he ran towards Cedric’s body that was still lying on the ground and he summoned the Triwizard Cup. He was clutching Cedric’s body and they were in a whirl of wind and colour, they were going back.

He felt as they slammed into the ground but he didn’t want to move. He heard the crowds of the students cheering around him, oblivious to what was happening. Harry’s head was still bursting in pain and his eyes were filled with tears. He was shaking a lot but he didn’t want to let go of Cedric. Then he felt someone’s hand on his shoulder and a voice speaking to him. It was Dumbledore.

“He’s back,” Harry whispered. “Voldemort’s back.”

Then there was Fudge talking and they were talking about Cedric but Harry still didn’t let go of him and they had to physically take him away from the other boy. He heard other students screaming and crying now and Harry couldn’t see Cedric any more. He was being dragged away by Mad-Eye Moody. And then he was asked questions by Moody and Harry just answered, almost robotically. Harry felt like he was no longer living his life but as if things were happening around him and he just observed. Like he was a puppet dragged into several different directions.

And then everything was upside-down again. Not literally this time. But Harry understood everything but at the same time understood nothing. Moody was behind everything all along. Soon enough, luckily, Dumbledore, Professor Snape, and Professor McGonagall barged into the room. And then he watched Moody become Barty Crouch Jr.

After everything, Harry was taken away by Dumbledore. He didn’t want to move anymore but there was nothing he could do.

“Harry,” Dumbledore said on their way to his office but Harry still felt like he was underwater. “Harry, Cedric is alive,” he said and that brought Harry’s attention back.

“Cedric’s alive?” he whispered. “Where is he? How? I need to see him!” Harry said frantically.

“You will, my dear boy. He is in the hospital wing now with his parents and Miss Chang,” Dumbledore said. “He hasn’t woken up yet, but he is alive.”

“But ... Wormtail ... he did ... the killing curse,” Harry panted.

“You must care a lot about Mr. Diggory, right?” Dumbledore asked and Harry nodded. “Tell me what exactly happened before the curse was cast.”

“I ... my scar hurt a lot ... then Cedric came to me and I told him to get out of there,” Harry said. “But he didn’t ... and then there was a green beam of light ... I ... I pushed Cedric away ... but it still hit him. I saw it. I heard his body fall. He was just lying there the whole time,” Harry choked out.

“I’m not sure what exactly happened there, Harry,” Dumbledore said. “But this is my understanding of it. Pettigrew is not a very skilled wizard and it takes a lot of power to cast the killing curse. He would probably be able to do it but because you pushed Cedric away, the curse didn’t hit him as a whole. So I think Cedric had, what the muggles call near-death experience, I believe.”

“And he’s alright?”

“I can’t tell you what damage there is, either physical or psychical. We will simply have to wait and see. Madam Pomfrey is a very skilled witch so I believe he is in good hands. You will see him soon. We will go to my office now, Sirius and Remus are waiting for you there, and then you will go to the hospital wing.”

They got into Dumbledore’s office and as soon as they entered, Harry was hugged tightly by Sirius. He gasped a bit in pain and Sirius immediately let go.

“Oh, I’m so sorry, Harry,” he said.

“It’s okay,” Harry said, his voice very weak.

Remus then came to him and hugged him very gently this time.

“What happened?” Sirius asked urgently.

Dumbledore then began to tell everything that Barty Crouch told them before. Harry was in a lot of pain and he was so tired, he wasn’t listening. Remus held him so he wouldn’t fall.

“Perhaps, Harry should get some rest, don’t you think Dumbledore?” Remus asked as Dumbledore wanted Harry to tell them everything again about the maze and the graveyard.

“Yes, we can leave it till the morning. Let him sleep, let him rest,” said Sirius.

But there was no debate with Dumbledore so Harry had to retell the story again. _At least I don’t have to speak to anyone tomorrow,_ he thought. _At least I can die in my sleep,_ this time there was no scolding voice in his head at this thought and that surprised Harry. Dumbledore then explained about the wands connecting as well but Harry didn’t feel like he wanted to know anyway.

“So the Diggory boy is alive, Dumbledore?” Remus asked.

“Yes. He is in the hospital wing now where we should take Harry now,” Dumbledore said. “Do you wish to stay?” he asked Sirius and Remus.

“Yes,” Sirius said immediately.

“Do you want us to, Harry?” Remus asked calmly.

“Maybe just for a bit? I feel there’s going to be a lot of people wanting to talk to me. I just want to be alone,” he whispered.

“Very well, we’ll take you to the hospital wing and stay for a while. We’ll come to check on you again tomorrow, okay?” Remus said and Harry nodded.

Sirius then transformed into a dog and they walked down to the hospital wing, Remus still helping Harry to stand and walk. When Dumbledore pushed open the door, Harry saw Mrs. Weasley, Bill, Ron, and Hermione grouped around a harassed-looking Madam Pomfrey. They appeared to be demanding to know where Harry was and what had happened to him. Harry also saw Mr. and Mrs. Diggory with Cho Chang sitting by a bed where Cedric must have been. Harry couldn’t see him but his heart was beating fast. Everyone now turned to him and Mrs. Weasley rushed towards him. Dumbledore then urged them not to question Harry anymore because he has been through enough. _Didn’t really stop you, though,_ Harry couldn’t stop thinking. Dumbledore then left them to it and Harry let Madam Pomfrey heal his wounds.

“Harry,” he heard Hermione say softly. “Do you want us to come back tomorrow?”

Harry nodded and felt so grateful for Hermione and her unbelievable empathy. They all hugged him very gently as if he was made of glass. Mrs. Weasley kissed him on his forehead and Hermione whispered “we all love you” and Harry smiled at them sadly. They then left and Harry was only with Remus and Padfoot. He could also see Moody lying motionlessly on a bed in the further corner of the room. Harry went to get ready for bed. His bed was next to Cedric’s. Harry looked at Cedric’s parents and suddenly felt very afraid. It was his fault; after all, that Cedric got hurt. Cho looked at Harry and smiled so Harry knew that at least she wasn’t angry at him.

“He woke up earlier,” Cho said. “He asked about you.”

“I hope you’re happy now,” Amos Diggory said. “You let him get dragged into your nonsense and now he almost died.”

“Amos,” Mrs. Diggory scolded at him. “Let the poor kid be.”

“I’m sorry,” Harry whispered.

“There’s no need to be sorry for,” Remus said behind Harry. “It was not your fault. Amos, can’t you see that Harry suffered as much as Cedric has.”

Amos didn’t say anything to that and paid Harry no more attention.

“Is he okay?” Harry asked.

“Madam Pomfrey said he’s going to be okay, just needs few days to adjust. Now that he’s woken up, the worse is behind him,” said Cho.

“You should lie down, Harry,” Remus said and Harry did. Padfoot jumped on his bed and snuggled to him. “I’m sorry this has happened,” Remus continued. “I hope you know you mean a great deal to both me and Padfoot.”

“I know,” Harry mumbled. “You mean a lot to me too.”

“I know it’s not going to be easy from now on. It wasn’t easy before either, I know that too,” he smiled. “But you need to make sure you’re looking after yourself, okay? Can you promise me that?”

“Yeah,” Harry nodded. “Remus, do you know yet if I can stay with you for the summer?”

“I don’t know yet, Harry. I think it’s going to be even harder now to convince Dumbledore.”

“I don’t think I can go back to the Dursleys,” Harry said his voice breaking. “Not after this. Please, Remus.”

“I’ll do as best as I can, I promise, okay?” Remus said and squeezed Harry’s shoulder. Padfoot snuggled even closer to him. “Now you need to drink the dreamless sleep potion and try to sleep okay?”

Harry did as he was told and then Remus and Padfoot said goodbye to him, promising they will be back the next day. Cedric’s parents left as well, Mr. Diggory not even looking at Harry, but Mrs. Diggory giving him a motherly smile. Cho got up to leave as well but stopped to talk to Harry for a bit.

“Thank you, Harry,” she said. “If you weren’t there he would probably die.”

“If I weren’t there, there would be no death situation happening,” Harry said.

“It’s not your fault,” she said and smiled. “When he woke up he only cared if you were okay. Please don’t close him off from you again because you feel like it’s your fault.”

“No, I won’t do that again,” Harry said. “Thank you, Cho.”

“Get some rest, I’ll see you later,” she smiled and left.

The room was so quiet suddenly. Harry looked over at Cedric lying in the bed next to him. He looked so peaceful. _He’s asleep,_ he reminded himself because for a moment he felt terror crept to him again. Harry then tried to sleep and because he was very tired, he fell asleep very quickly.

Harry heard someone shuffling and he woke up, sitting up frantically because he thought he was in the maze again. But then he realised he was in the hospital wing and he felt relieved.

“Did I wake you? I’m sorry,” he heard Cedric whisper and to Harry that was the best thing he heard since the whole thing happened.

“Cedric,” he whispered and looked at the boy on the bed next to him. “You’re awake. Are you okay?”

“I’m alive so I guess that’s good,” Cedric smiled. “How are you? What happened?”

“I’m okay,” Harry said and then fell quiet.

Cedric gave him a puzzled look and Harry sighed. He was trembling a bit and suddenly he had to make sure that Cedric was real, that he was indeed alive. He climbed out of his bed and sat down on Cedric’s.

“I’m sorry,” Harry whispered. “I just want to make sure you’re real.”

“It’s okay,” Cedric said kindly.

Harry lay down almost on top of Cedric and hugged him tightly. He felt so small against him, like a porcelain doll. Cedric put his arms around him and squeezed Harry even more tightly. Harry then slowly whispered the gist of what happened. He told him about Voldemort, about the wand connection, about Barty Crouch and Cedric just listened and never let go of Harry.

“I thought you were dead,” Harry then said, his voice breaking again. “I thought you died and it was the worst feeling I ever felt.”

“I did die,” Cedric said and Harry shivered. “I think I did. It was weird. I felt empty ... and like I wasn’t myself anymore ... I wasn’t anything. And then it felt like I was on fire ... but at the same time, I felt nothing ... and then it was as if someone grabbed me from the bottom of the lake and dragged me onto the surface ... and I felt I was myself again but I was suddenly someone else too. I couldn’t move or open my eyes but I was there ... in myself. Then I woke up and no one would tell me what happened to you ... did I make sense?”

“I think so. Were you in pain?” Harry asked.

Cedric was silent for a while. “Yes,” he said very quietly.

“Are you in pain now?”

“No,” he said and looked at Harry with a smile. “Only tired.”

“I saw my parents,” Harry then said. “When it happened ... Priori Incantatem.”

“Are you okay?” Cedric asked and brushed the hair out of Harry’s forehead.

“No,” he said. “But I will be. Dumbledore said that they were not my parents ... not really. Not even ghosts ... just mirrors. But it was the closest I got to them.”

“I’m sorry,” Cedric said. “If you think they were your parents then they were, Harry. Don’t mind what Dumbledore said.”

“Thank you.”

“I’m sorry I didn’t help you out there. You were all alone against Voldemort ... I feel bad.”

“You were unconscious, Cedric,” Harry chuckled. “It’s okay,” comfortable silence settled between them and Harry almost felt like he was drifting off to sleep again. He felt safe there with Cedric and he didn’t want the next day to come. When he had to face everyone else.

“I’m sorry about before,” Harry whispered.

“It’s okay, I don’t think we have to talk about it anymore,” Cedric smiled.

“No, I made a promise we will,” Harry said. “And as you can see, not even death can break my promise,” he chuckled and Cedric did too. “But I really am sorry. I was being an idiot. I thought if I push you away it’s going to be better for you. I got it into my head that because you’re not used to being friends with someone like me it’s not fair from me to drag you into my mess.”

“That is really stupid,” said Cedric. “But I’m sorry if I made you feel that way.”

“You didn’t. It was just my head ... playing tricks on me. I heard you had some problems with your dad because of that article.”

“Yeah, he’s not a big fan of yours but only because in his eyes no one is better than his mighty Ced. I don’t even know this Ced that is supposed to be his son,” Cedric said. “I love my dad, I really do ... and it feels stupid complaining about it to you ... it’s just that sometimes he thinks I’m someone I’m not and he expects me to be that someone.”

“You can complain to me about it, don’t worry. I might not understand it but you can still tell me.”

“Thank you,” Cedric said. “You mentioned before that you live with your muggle relatives, right? Are they here for you now?”

“No, they don’t know about any of that,” Harry said. “And I’m not going to tell them ... they would probably kick me out if they thought I was any more dangerous than I already am.”

“What do you mean?”

“Well, they hate me ... and hate is a very weak word for what they feel towards me,” Harry said and then tried to explain the Dursleys in a nutshell.

“So why do you live with them? Is there no one else you can stay with?”

“Dumbledore wants me to, for some reason. Remus told me I could stay with him and Padfoot after my birthday this summer but we still don’t know if Dumbledore would allow it.”

“That’s very strange,” Cedric muttered. “I would take you to stay with me if you wanted.”

“Thank you. I usually stay with the Weasleys for a bit in summer too, but only when I’m allowed,” he said. “I don’t think if I came to see you that your dad would be thrilled. He was not too happy about me today either.”

“Did he say something to you?”

“Just the usual, I guess. Your mum was nice, though.”

“I’ll talk to him tomorrow. He needs to stop, you’re my friend, and I wouldn’t be here without you.”

“You wouldn’t. Because without me you wouldn’t be in danger in the first place,” Harry muttered.

“You don’t know that. If I took the Cup without you, they would probably kill me on the spot and there wouldn’t even be anyone to take my body back,” Cedric said and Harry shivered at that.

“But if I weren’t in the tournament, none of it would have happened.”

“That was not your fault,” Cedric said in a strict voice.

“Cedric,” Harry whispered after a little while of silence. “I’m glad we’re friends. I don’t think I would have survived this year without you.”

“I’m glad too,” Cedric smiled. “And I wouldn’t be any good without you either.”

Harry wanted to say something else but got interrupted by an angry voice of Mad-Eye Moody, who said, “alright, there you lovebirds, go to sleep and if you wake me again I’ll make sure you’ll regret it.”

They both chuckled quietly. Harry didn’t even know that Moody was awake. He thought he was in no condition to be awake but Madam Pomfrey worked miracles. Cedric gave Harry one last tight hug and then Harry climbed back to his own bed. He felt much calmer and was asleep again soon enough.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So I really don't like Dumbledore, and I apologise in advance but it's going to be shown in this fic. Anyway, we stan some good friendships and supportive relationships!
> 
> Thank you again for reading! And thank you for all the kudos and lovely comments, I really appreciate it! :)


	7. Aftermaths

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The end of the year.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay, quick update but shorter chapter. I just wanted to finish the year before we head off to the summer.
> 
> Thank you so much again for the lovely comments and kudos! :) I'm sorry I don't reply to all of the comments individually but I really appreciate it :)

Harry was woken up by people whispering around his bed and then the loud conversation between Professor McGonagall and Fudge. Then Dumbledore has entered the hospital wing and Harry heard what the fight was all about. Barty Crouch was given the Dementor’s Kiss, all thanks to the Minister of Magic, so now he was not able to testify. Harry was still pretending he was asleep, it was for the best in his opinion, and he was in no mood to face everyone. Fudge was blabbering nonsense around and refused to believe that Voldemort was back. _Of course,_ Harry thought, _how else this could have possibly gone._

“Who do you think almost killed my son then?” Harry heard the outraged voice of Amos Diggory.

“Why doesn’t Potter tell us then?” said Fudge. “He was the only witness.”

“I am afraid I cannot let you question Harry tonight,” Dumbledore said.

“You are – er – prepared to take Harry’s word on this, are you, Dumbledore?”

There was a moment of silence, which has been broken by Padfoot’s growling. Harry decided he maybe should let them know he was awake but he couldn’t make himself to get up.

“Certainly I believe Harry,” said Dumbledore. “I heard Crouch’s confession, and I heard Harry’s account of what happened after he touched the Triwizard Cup.”

“I can also stand by Harry’s word,” said Cedric. Harry has not realised he was awake.

“You’re just a boy. You were unconscious. He could’ve tricked you. Your word is as good as nothing,” Fudge said. “So you are prepared to believe that Lord Voldemort has returned on the word of a lunatic murderer, and two boys, one of them unconscious for the whole event and the other ... well ...”

“You’ve been reading Rita Skeeter, Mr Fudge,” Harry said finally and sat up on his bed.

The whole conversation after that could have not gone worse. Harry was shouting, trying so hard to be believed but it was no use. He was giving names of the Death Eaters that were there but Fudge dismissed everything he said. Dumbledore was urging Fudge to take steps to prepare against Voldemort but the man didn’t listen. Even Snape tried to convince him, showing everyone his Dark Mark, which has been clearer since Voldemort’s rebirth. But Fudge was blinded by fear. He gave both Harry and Cedric their part of their winnings and then left.

Dumbledore then gave orders to everyone. Bill left to send a message to Mr Weasley and Professor McGonagall was sent to get Hagrid and Madame Maxime to Dumbledore’s office.

“Amos,” Dumbledore said. “I believe I can count on your family too?”

“Of course, Dumbledore,” Mr Diggory said.

“Then I believe some introductions are to be made. Sirius ... if you could resume your usual form.”

The huge black dog then changed into Sirius and Mrs Weasley shrieked. All of the Diggorys looked distressed as well. But Dumbledore assured them to stay calm.

“Everyone, meet my godfather,” Harry said nervously and looked at Cedric whose face was very hard to read.

Dumbledore made Snape and Sirius shake hands as if they were some schoolchildren. “Sirius, you and Remus will lie low in the Grimmauld Place. I will contact you there.”

“But ... wait ... do they have to go now?” Harry said. He didn’t want to say goodbye yet.

“Dumbledore, maybe it’s time to decide on Harry’s situation,” Remus said, his voice calm but Harry knew the man was very far from calm.

“There is no time for that now,” Dumbledore said. “Harry needs to be with his blood relatives, now more than ever, otherwise it could be dangerous.”

“But I don’t want to stay with the Dursleys anymore!” Harry shouted.

“Dumbledore, I don’t see the problem! I wouldn’t let Harry come to any harm, you know that!” Sirius said, his voice getting angry now, and Remus had to place a hand on his shoulder to calm him.

“Now is not the time for this discussion, Sirius! Harry, my boy, this is an issue we can’t waste time on at the moment. Please, understand. We all have your safety as a priority. We will have to see to this matter later,” Dumbledore said.

“Fine,” Sirius uttered.

“We’ll see you very soon, Harry, I promise,” Remus said, turning to Harry.

They both hugged him goodbye and then Sirius turned into Padfoot again and walked by Remus’s side as they left. Dumbledore then gave orders to Snape who left the room as well.

“Amos,” Dumbledore said finally. “I discussed with Madam Pomfrey and because of the character of Cedric’s injury ... or rather experience ... we decided it would be best for him to have weekly appointments at St. Mungo’s during the summer. He’ll be seeing Madam Pomfrey when he’s back in school if necessary. Madam Pomfrey was kind enough to appoint Cedric a skilled medic at St. Mungo’s.”

“But why?” Cedric asked before anyone else could react. “I’m okay, aren’t I?”

“My dear boy, we are not sure what happened to you and there might be some problems that you would have to face in the future. It would be for the best if you went to see someone regularly so they can check on you. If you, of course, consent to it,” Dumbledore said.

“I think it might be good, Ced,” Mr Diggory said and Mrs Diggory agreed.

“Alright,” Cedric agreed eventually but didn’t look all that happy about it.

“Very well, I will be in contact with you, Amos,” Dumbledore said. “I have to go now. Harry, I’ll speak to you later.”

With that, he left.

“You could have told me about Sirius, Harry,” Mrs Weasley said.

“Mom, he couldn’t, it was too dangerous,” Ron said.

“I know, I just wouldn’t want to think that you’re afraid to tell me things, Harry.”

“Don’t worry, Mrs Weasley. I know I can tell you things,” Harry smiled.

“You should get some more sleep,” Mrs Weasley said and gave Harry the rest of his dreamless potion.

“We’ll let you sleep, mate. We’ll come back later,” Ron said and with that, he, Mrs Weasley, and Hermione left.

Harry took his potion and looked at Cedric.

“Go to sleep, we’ll talk later,” Cedric smiled and Harry nodded. He lay down on his bed and was asleep within minutes.

“You should get some more sleep too, son,” said Mr Diggory to Cedric.

“Yeah,” Cedric nodded and looked over at Harry, who seemed so peaceful in his sleep.

“Did you know about his godfather?” asked Mrs Diggory, who was still in a bit of a shock.

“No,” Cedric said. “But I’m not surprised why he hasn’t told me.”

“Well, we’ll leave you to sleep,” Amos said.

“Wait, can I talk to you both for a minute, please?” asked Cedric as he sat on his bed.

“Of course, are you feeling okay, honey?” Mrs Diggory said with concern.

“Yeah, I’m okay ... well ... everything still feels a bit weird but I’m okay,” he said. “I just wanted to talk to you about Harry.”

“What about him?” Mr Diggory said.

“It’s just ... dad, I know you’re not his biggest fan ... but ... it wasn’t his fault,” Cedric said.

“I’m not saying it was his fault, Ced. I’m just saying that trouble seems to find him no matter what and he knows that. So maybe he should be more careful to drag other people with himself.”

“But, dad ... Harry is my friend,” Cedric sighed. “Look ... if it wasn’t for him, I’d probably be dead now. He pushed me away from the curse and he took me back to Hogwarts.”

“So, what do you want from me, Ced? Want me to join his fan club?”

“No, I just want you to be nicer to him. He’s going to have it tough now ... you heard what Fudge said ... and I want our family to support him.”

“Come on, Amos,” Mrs Diggory said. “He’s only fourteen for Merlin’s sake. Don’t make his life harder than it’s already been.”

“Well ... I suppose,” Mr Diggory shrugged. “I might have been a bit too harsh. But only because you’re our son, Cedric, and we almost lost you. You can’t blame us for being worried.”

“I know, dad. And I don’t blame you. Just don’t take it out on Harry.”

“Alright, Ced,” Mr Diggory said. “I’m sorry.”

“Now, Cedric, you should take your potion too and try to sleep. You need some more rest,” Mrs Diggory said and handed the dreamless sleep potion to Cedric.

Hermione told Harry the next day that Dumbledore had spoken to the school at breakfast about the events of the third task. Apparently, he also told people to leave both Cedric and Harry alone and not asked them unnecessary questions and Harry was glad for it. Ron and Hermione also didn’t ask Harry much about the night, which Harry appreciated. They tried to distract Harry by talking about other things or playing wizard chess. Cedric was spending the next day with his parents and Cho so they didn’t have the chance to talk much. Ron also told Harry that Mrs Weasley requested for him to come to the Burrow immediately after school ends.

“But he wants you to go back to the Dursleys, at least at first,” he said.

“That’s what he told Sirius and Remus as well. I don’t understand why,” said Harry.

“She said Dumbledore’s got his reasons,” said Ron. “I suppose we’ve got to trust him, haven’t we?”

Harry wasn’t too happy about it but didn’t know what else he could do. Both he and Cedric returned to their common rooms that evening but Madam Pomfrey urged them to come for a check-up every morning.

“Well I guess I’ll see you in the Great Hall,” Harry said as they walked out of the hospital wing.

“Yeah,” Cedric nodded. “Unless ... er ... we can see each other outside the Great Hall too, you know?”

“Do you want to visit Hagrid with me tomorrow?” Harry asked then.

“Sure,” Cedric smiled. “Good night then.”

The next day Harry visited Hagrid and brought Cedric with him. Visiting Hagrid was very comforting. Hagrid told him that he and Madame Maxime had some business with Dumbledore but didn’t tell him what. Cedric didn’t know Hagrid outside of the classes so he seemed a bit nervous around him.

“Thank you for the tea,” Cedric said politely.

“No problem,” Hagrid said. “Any friend of Harry here is a friend of mine, I say.”

Neither Harry nor Cedric wanted to retell the events much to Hagrid and he didn’t force them. So instead, they decided to tell Cedric about saving Sirius and Buckbeak.

“So Buckbeak is alive?” Cedric asked in awe.

“Yeah, he’s with Sirius,” Harry said. “Although now that Sirius lives in the house, he must not be very happy there.”

“I was sad they wanted to kill him, it seemed a bit unfair,” Cedric said.

“Luckily Dumbledore gave Harry and Hermione the idea with the time turner,” Hagrid said.

“Yeah ... I mean he was a bit unclear with the instructions ... but I’m glad he was on our side,” Harry said. “And I’m glad Sirius is safe now ... well, as much as he can be. I’m sorry I didn’t tell you about him earlier.”

“It’s okay, I don’t blame you,” Cedric smiled. “So he and Remus are kind of like your uncles now?”

“Well ... Sirius is my godfather ... and they were both close friends with my parents. And Remus helped me a lot last year. We’ve been exchanging letters a lot this year and I’d say he’s like my family too.”

“And they live together now?” Cedric asked.

“Yes. Remus wanted Sirius to take refuge in the house for a long time but Sirius was very stubborn. But for the past month, they’ve been living together,” Harry said.

“Good man, Lupin, and Sirius too,” Hagrid said. “They’ve been through enough, deserve some peace, they do.”

Harry nodded and then thought for a bit. Something was loading in his brain and Cedric watched him closely. “Are you okay there, Harry?” he chuckled.

“Wait ... are Sirius and Remus ... together?” Harry asked as if a light had suddenly turned itself on in his brain.

Hagrid started laughing jovially. “Harry, yer a good boy, you are. But yer way too oblivious.”

“What? So they are?” Harry asked again.

“I think that was very clear, even to me, and I’ve only seen them together for a few moments,” Cedric chuckled.

“They’ve been together since their fifth year, Harry,” Hagrid laughed. “Of course, had that Azkaban break in between but y’know...”

“Oh,” Harry gasped. “Well, how was I supposed to know? No one told me. I’m not good with these things.”

“It’s okay, Harry,” Cedric said. “But maybe you should’ve just asked them.”

“Well ... it didn’t occur to me until now,” Harry chuckled. “Plus they were too busy acting like worried parents all the time.”

They talked about other things after that but Harry couldn’t stop thinking about his own stupid obliviousness. He, of course, didn’t mind Sirius and Remus being together. If anything, he was happy for them. And it made sense after he gave it more thought. He just couldn’t understand why these things kept flying over his head all the time while it was very clear to others. He decided that as soon as he’s reunited with Sirius and Remus he will have to ask them about it. After all, he never had a proper talk like this with anyone besides Ron, so maybe he should really talk to an adult. He wanted to know more about their relationship, not in a weird way, but he couldn’t stop thinking about what it must have been like for them to be apart for so long. And Remus didn’t know Sirius was innocent at the time either. Harry couldn’t imagine what it must have been like.

He was quiet on their walk back from Hagrid’s and Cedric noticed. “It’s okay, Harry,” he said. “I told you before, you had so many other things to deal with so far, no wonder you don’t notice stuff like this.”

“I suppose,” Harry shrugged. “But I should really try harder. I don’t want it to seem like I don’t care about other people.”

“I’m pretty sure no one thinks that,” Cedric said. “If anything, I think it’s adorable,” he chuckled.

Harry was taken aback by that. _Adorable?_ he thought. _Am I some sort of a puppy? Is that because I’m younger than him?_ But he didn’t say anything. He felt something warm creep to his cheeks and it was a strange sensation. They got back to the castle and separated, Cedric, going back to Cho and his friends, and Harry went back to Ron and Hermione.

In the following days, Harry kept on visiting Hagrid as he found it quite comforting. Maybe he was trying to hide from the rest of the school but even if he was, what of it. There was also not much time for Harry and Cedric to talk to each other as they were both surrounded by their friends most of the time. But Harry couldn’t stop looking at Cedric in the Great Hall whenever they shared a meal. He didn’t even realise it at first until Hermione told him over breakfast one day.

“You keep staring at him, Harry,” she said.

“What?” he asked, oblivious.

“Cedric. You stare at him every time we eat,” she said and put more toast on Harry’s plate.

“I don’t,” Harry stuttered. _Why am I blushing?_

“You do, mate,” Ron said. “You should tone it down a bit.”

“I’m sorry,” said Harry. “It’s just ... I need to reassure myself that he’s there.”

“We understand, Harry, but try to focus more on yourself,” Hermione said.

Harry tried not to stare after that, or at least make it more subtle, but he couldn’t help himself. He was scared that if he didn’t see Cedric, he wasn’t there. It was strange to describe. As if the moment his eyes left Cedric, the boy would disappear and no longer come to life again. Harry certainly didn’t have a clear head, he thought he should be focusing on other things like defeating Voldemort but here he was, making sure that he didn’t dream of Cedric surviving. _If I wasn’t crazy before, I really am now,_ he kept thinking.

Cedric, on the other hand, felt odd ever since that night. He didn’t tell anyone, except Madam Pomfrey, but he still felt like he was someone else. He kept hearing whispers that were not saying anything in particular, just rustles of voices from things around him. He also felt very overwhelmed by too many people around him or by the loud noises of people in the Great Hall. He also could on some level sense how some of the people around him were feeling. But he tried to ignore all these things and focused more on making sure his friends knew he was still the same Cedric as before. Cho was being very careful around him. She seemed she didn’t want to distress him anyhow but also like she didn’t quite know how to behave. So they talked like nothing happened but there was this strange tension. Cedric didn’t want to worry Cho about what was happening to him as he, himself, wasn’t very sure.

“Harry keeps staring at you,” she told him over breakfast one day.

“I know,” Cedric said.

“Is he okay?” she asked.

“I don’t know. I don’t think so. He can’t be really okay, can he?”

“I suppose.”

“It doesn’t bother you, does it?” Cedric asked, suddenly feeling a wave of worry from Cho.

“No. I’m only worried about him ... and you too. But I don’t know how to help,” she said quietly.

“I don’t know either,” Cedric sighed. “But I don’t want you to be stressed about it.”

“It’s just ... you and Harry ... you share something now.”

“A trauma?” Cedric chuckled. “What a nice thing to bond over.”

“But it’s true, isn’t it?” she said, sounding bit upset now.

“I mean, I guess. But it doesn’t mean I lost anything with you.”

“I didn’t mean it like that,” she said. “I know you. And I know that I can’t fully understand ... not as you and Harry can. But you can tell me if you want.”

“I know. It’s just ... hard to describe what’s happening ... and what’s happened,” Cedric said. “But I swear I’m not pushing you away.”

“I know,” she said and took his hand.

Harry thought that Dumbledore would come to talk to him before the school year ends but nothing like that happened. He was confused; no one has spoken to him about future plans or anything. Surely, Dumbledore was preparing to battle against Voldemort and surely he had a plan so why didn’t he talk to Harry? Also, why hasn’t he spoken to Harry yet about the reason why he had to stay at Privet Drive? Harry was getting frustrated with it but he couldn’t exactly walk up to Dumbledore and demand answers. The man seemed to be always busy and also he seemed to be avoiding Harry a little bit. But maybe Harry was just being a bit paranoid.

On the last day of school, Dumbledore decided to give a speech to the entire school about the events once more. This time as a celebration to Harry and Cedric’s actions facing Voldemort. Harry felt very uncomfortable at that and when he looked at Cedric he knew he did too. He knew that the majority of the people in Hogwarts didn’t believe it and probably thought he cursed Cedric or something. Cedric, on the other hand, felt like there was no need to mention his name when all he did was to lie there unconsciously. Especially when several people were looking at him lately like he was under a curse.

It was time to get to the train and on their way there, Fleur Delacour stopped to talk to Harry and say goodbye. She was very nice to him and Harry was glad that she didn’t seem to think he was crazy. She even talked to Ron, who managed to just babble around and Harry couldn’t help but chuckle at that. Viktor Krum came to talk to them too. Before he took Hermione aside to say goodbye, he apologised to Harry about the third task, even though it wasn’t his fault he was cursed. Ron, with red ears, managed to ask for an autograph from Krum, who gave it to him with a smile. After he talked to Hermione and promised to write, he went to talk to Cedric too.

They were finally sitting on the train heading to the King’s Cross station when Hermione told them about Rita Skeeter being an Animagus. That explained everything about the weird articles in the Daily Prophet. She showed them the beetle she captured in a glass jar, saying she will let her go in London. Their conversation was interrupted by Draco Malfoy walking into their compartment with Crabbe and Goyle and threatening them.

“You’ve picked the losing side, Potter! I warned you! I told you you ought to choose your company more carefully, remember? When we met on the train, first day at Hogwarts? I told you not to hang around with riff-raff like this!” he jerked his head at Ron and Hermione. “Too late now, Potter! They’ll be the first to go, now the Dark Lord’s back! Mudbloods and Muggle-lovers first! I thought Diggory would be smarter but it turns out Hufflepuffs are as dumb as they say after all. Shame they didn’t do a proper job at k –“

It was as though someone has exploded a box of fireworks within the compartment. They all used different hexes, plus Fred and George came into the compartment, cursing the Slytherins as well, and it all added to the small explosion. Malfoy, Crabbe, and Goyle were lying on the floor, unconscious. They rolled them out of the compartment into the corridor and then all sat down and closed the doors behind them. Fred and George then told them about the bet they made at the Quidditch Cup with Bagman and how they were trying to get money from him the whole year. Harry then decided to give the twins his winnings from the tournament. He really didn’t want anything that would remind him of the competition and was trying to come up with what to do with the money for a while now. Cedric gave his money to his parents who probably put it on his savings or something but Harry had no idea what to do with his. He knew that Mrs. Weasley wouldn’t take any money from him, although he would want to give them to her. So, when Fred and George were leaving their compartment, Harry ran after them and gave them the money. They didn’t want to accept at first, of course, but Harry didn’t take no as an answer.

When he was about to go back to their compartment, Cedric ran up to him.

“Hey, Harry!” he smiled. “Can I talk to you before we get to King’s Cross?”

“Sure,” Harry said and led Cedric to their compartment.

“Hi, guys,” Cedric greeted Ron and Hermione.

“Hey, Cedric,” said Hermione. “Ron, didn’t you want to go check on Ginny?”

“What, why would I want to do that?” Ron asked but then saw the look Hermione was giving him. “Oh, yeah, right. Have to check if she’s even boarded the train.”

“I’ll go with you,” she said and then they were both off.

“Wow, your friends are very subtle,” Cedric laughed.

“They just don’t want us to feel uncomfortable. You know, talking about the night with other people,” Harry said and sat down.

“Yeah, I know,” Cedric said and dropped next to Harry. “Look, I just wanted to know how you’re feeling, I know we didn’t have much chance to talk after we left Hagrid’s.”

“Yeah ... I’m okay,” Harry said. “How are you?”

“Good ... listen, I want you to keep writing to me over the summer, okay? Even if you don’t have anything to write about ... just write.”

“Er ... okay. Well, the same goes to you,” Harry said.

“I know,” Cedric smiled. “I hope you’ll be able to stay with the Weasleys later, or with your godfather.”

“Yeah, me too,” Harry said. “But we’ll see what Dumbledore says.”

“Yeah. He hasn’t spoken to me either if that calms you a bit. Not that he talks to me much anyway,” Cedric said. “Harry, I want you to know that you can come to me with anything, okay? I know it’s going to be tough now. You can count on me.”

“I know. Thank you, Cedric,” Harry smiled. “You can count on me too.”

Ron and Hermione soon returned to the compartment and the train was about to stop. Cedric hugged Harry tightly and said goodbye to all of them before he left.

“You didn’t have to leave, guys,” Harry said.

“We didn’t want you to feel uncomfortable,” Hermione said.

“Yeah, besides he’s more your friend than ours,” Ron shrugged.

“I want all of us to be friends,” Harry said.

“We will, Harry. This just felt like a private moment for you guys,” Hermione explained. “But I like Cedric, I promise that next year we’ll talk to him more.”

“Yeah, he’s alright,” Ron mumbled. “But don’t let him replace me as the thing you’ll sorely miss, okay?”

“Oh, don’t you worry about that,” Harry laughed. “You’ll always be the number one in my heart, Ronnie.”

Ron and Hermione also started laughing and Harry felt very content, forgetting for a while where he was going after the train stops. They got ready to leave soon and Harry said goodbye to Ron and Hermione, promised he was going to write to them and then they all got off the train. Uncle Vernon was already waiting for Harry with a sour look on his face. He didn’t say a word to Harry, as usual, and they walked to his car and soon Harry was back in Privet Drive.

 _Alone again,_ he thought but the Hedwig hooted from her cage.

“Oh, sorry, Hedwig,” he smiled. “I know, it’s you and me against the world.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I cannot believe that JK Rowling has not named Cedric's mom. She is literally only referenced as Mrs. Diggory. I'm really bad with coming up with names but I think I might have to think of something in the future, lol. 
> 
> Thanks again for reading, hope you liked it :)


	8. Mad in Surrey

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Summer at the Dursleys is very dull ... until it isn't.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay, I wanted to write the whole summer in one chapter but it got longer than expected so there will be another one (probably shorter than this though)
> 
> Thank you so much for staying with this, and for the response as well :)

Summer with the Dursleys was always the same. This time, however, Harry was glad they had no interest in him. He was glad he didn’t have to talk to them and explain anything. He just had time for himself and his thoughts. Which proved to be a bit dangerous eventually because Harry’s thoughts weren’t always friendly to him. Harry kept having the same nightmare, where he kept seeing Lord Voldemort rising and Cedric being killed but this time he was truly dead. Harry saw it in his dreams over and over again. More than once he woke up from a nightmare crying. Harry’s daily routine was basically to avoid the Dursleys as much as he could, try to have some food at some point of the day and read the news in case there was something that could be linked to Voldemort.

After the first week of what Harry called “going mad in Surrey”, he decided to finally write to his friends. He sent everyone pretty much the same letter, asking how they were doing if they haven’t heard anything from Dumbledore and how life with the Dursleys is as dull as always. He felt a bit clingy for writing them so soon after the school year has ended but he thought that Hedwig needed to stretch her wings a little too. He also wrote a letter for Sirius and Remus, decided to send one for the both of them.

_Dear Sirius and Remus_

_~~How is life?~~ _ _How are you both doing? I miss you a lot. Life here is as boring as always. Luckily, Aunt Petunia and Uncle Vernon don’t pay too much attention to me, and Dudley is out all the time tormenting children. I haven’t heard anything from Dumbledore yet and he hasn’t talked to me in school after you left. Did he contact you? ~~Do you know if I can leave the Dursleys?~~ _

_I hope I can see you soon._

_Harry._

Harry was getting frustrated with the lack of information he’s got so far. Surely, Dumbledore should’ve contacted him by now. So why hasn’t he? The next few days, Harry went by the same daily routine as always and was awaiting any responses. He went for a walk several times but had to hide from Dudley’s gang more than once. Hermione and Ron responded after several days and their letters were quite vague. They both told him they were doing okay but they couldn’t tell him what was going on and that surely they will see each other soon. But none of them said when exactly that would be. Harry was quite disappointed by the letters. The next day, however, he got a letter from Cedric, which was much more helpful.

_Dear Harry_

_Thank you for your letter. I’m sorry that your summer is as boring as you say but I think in this situation, we can be happy for boring. Please don’t go ‘mad in Surrey’ as you put it yourself._

_I’m glad you decided to write to me so soon; I wanted to write to you myself. How are you feeling? And please tell me the truth, don’t sugarcoat me, alright? I know that you’re probably letting your head play tricks on you again because there is no one around to stop it. Also, I hope you’re eating enough._

_As for myself, I am doing okay. I’ve had my first session and St. Mungo’s yesterday and I’m not sure how I’m feeling about it yet. They’re basically trying to study my brain and I’m not very comfortable with that. Plus, I don’t know if the muggles are further with their medicine, but even with magic, the brain is very difficult to observe. So I’m being put through several different spells or potions and then they ask questions. A lot of questions. About the spells, potions but also about my feelings and my life in general. I’ve indeed been feeling quite odd ever since “my death” but it’s very hard to describe._

_Anyway, I’m going to see my grandmother soon, she lives in Wales, in the middle of nowhere, so I think the change of scenery will be good for me. Cho is coming with me for a few days, which will be nice. I wish you could come too. I know you’d have enjoyed it._

_Our family had no message from Dumbledore yet but I suppose he’s not that interested in us. I’m alive and my sessions are going, so he’s done his part. I’m sorry to hear that he’s not talked to you yet either. It’s weird, I think he should talk to you the most of all people at the moment. Have you talked to Ron and Hermione? Or Sirius and Remus? Did they get any information?_

_I’m excited to hear from you again, Harry._

_Cheers,_

_Cedric._

_Dear Cedric_

_I’m going to try not to “go mad in Surrey” but it’s going to be tricky, I think. I’d like to know more about those sessions you’re having. If you want to talk about them, that is. You can tell me even if you think it doesn’t make sense. I’m glad you’re feeling okay overall, though. Have a great time in Wales and say hi to Cho. How is she doing, by the way?_

_I wrote to Ron and Hermione and both of their responses have been quite vague. I think they are in contact with Dumbledore but it seems he doesn’t want them to tell me much for some reason. I’m not going to lie; I am getting a bit frustrated. I also sent a letter to Sirius and Remus but have not heard from them yet so I hope they’re okay._

_Other than that, I’m feeling quite okay, considering everything. I keep having nightmares, though, but it’s alright. I think I’m just frustrated with everything and I feel a bit stuck at the moment. I’d like to do something to help against Voldemort but I feel very useless at the moment. I just hope I can leave Privet Drive soon and I can’t wait to be back at Hogwarts._

_~~I miss you a lot~~ _ _. I hope I’ll see you soon._

_Cheers,_

_Harry._

Harry sent Cedric his response as soon as he finished reading his letter. He didn’t hear from anyone for several days until after another week, he finally got a letter back from Sirius and Remus, obviously written mainly by Remus.

_Dear Harry,_

_Thank you for your letter. We are both glad that you’re okay. Sirius is sulking a lot because he has to be cooped up inside (and he’s shouting at me at the moment to let you know that he’s not sulking). I don’t have to stay inside all the time but can’t wander off too much (plus, I’m afraid of leaving Sirius on his own). So I think we might all go mad._

_But overall we’re doing okay. I can’t really tell you much about what’s happening. I’m sorry but it’s Dumbledore’s orders (although I highly disagree and Sirius does too). But we can’t really go against it, we both would probably be dead by now if it wasn’t for him. So I’m really sorry I can’t give you any information. I know you must feel frustrated. I can’t even tell you when you’ll be allowed to see us because I don’t know. But I hope it’s soon._

_Sirius wants me to tell you he misses you (and I do too) and that you should be careful even though you might feel safe. Let us know if anything happens._

_All the best,_

_Moony and Padfoot._

Harry was glad that at least Remus tried to talk to him normally, even though he was upset that he didn’t tell him anything from Dumbledore. But he understood why he couldn’t and felt content that at least they were too frustrated about it. The days went by slowly and Harry only had Hedwig to talk to. He wrote to Remus and Sirius again after several days and told them about his recurring nightmare because it was the only thing happening to him. The weather has gotten extremely warm but Harry still tried to spend his days outside, just wandering around. He wrote to Ron and Hermione a few times again but hasn’t heard from them. Nor from Cedric.

July came to an end very slowly but eventually, it got to Harry’s birthday. He wasn’t expecting anything. He woke up early that morning and got a birthday card from Hermione. She wrote that she expects to see him soon but didn’t actually say when. His friends also sent him some sweets but he was in no mood to eat them as he felt quite rejected by them. He managed to sneak into the kitchen to get some small breakfast before the Dursleys woke up and then he rushed back to his room. An hour later he heard the Dursleys getting up and aunt Petunia knocked on his door so he would come down to make breakfast. That was his only interaction with them. He would make breakfast in the morning and they would leave him alone for the rest of the day. They didn’t care if he showed up for lunch or dinner so Harry usually just sneaked something to his room.

He was making breakfast when there was a knock on the door. Uncle Vernon made a disapproving sound and got up from reading his newspapers. Harry didn’t look who was at the door, it was never for him, but he could hear distant voices.

“Yes?” said Uncle Vernon.

“Hello. Mr Dursley? Sorry, is Harry home?” he heard a familiar voice. _Who could be asking for me?_

“Who the hell are you?”

“Oh, sorry. I’m Cedric. Cedric Diggory. I’m Harry’s friend,” said Cedric kindly. _Oh no,_ Harry thought but his heart started beating uncontrollably.

“Are you one of them lot? One of those freaks?”

“Excuse me?”

“Get out of my house!” shouted Uncle Vernon.

“Can I just see Harry, please?” said Cedric but Harry heard Uncle Vernon shut the door already. He ran to the door immediately.

“That was for me,” said Harry.

“I don’t care, boy. You finish making that breakfast and then take your nonsense out of the house,” huffed uncle Vernon.

“I’m finished,” Harry said darkly and uncle Vernon went back to the kitchen.

Harry ran to the door and when he opened it, he saw Cedric standing on the porch, clearly unsure about what to do.

“Cedric!” Harry shouted and Cedric turned to him. “What are you doing here?”

“Harry! I thought ... I didn’t know,” he rambled but then smiled. “Happy birthday.”

“You came for my birthday?” Harry asked, surprised.

“Of course. See, Dumbledore said you can’t leave Privet Drive, but he never said that no one can visit you,” Cedric smiled. “I brought some food and cake,” he said and held up the picnic basket he was holding.

“Oh,” Harry didn’t know what to say and realised he was blushing, which made him feel embarrassed. “That’s so nice ... I ... thank you ... er... and sorry about uncle Vernon.”

“That’s okay,” Cedric said. “I know you said they hated you but I didn’t expect this I guess,” he chuckled.

“You have no idea,” Harry laughed nervously. “Okay ... er ... I’ve got to get changed,” he said, realising he was still in his pyjamas. “Can you wait here? I’ll be down in a second.”

“Sure, no problem,” Cedric smiled.

Harry ran back into the house and his room. Luckily, Aunt Petunia and Uncle Vernon were still having breakfast and Dudley was probably asleep. Harry got changed into jeans and tried to find a t-shirt that didn’t look too big on him. He had no luck so he just put on one that didn’t have holes or stains on it. He looked at himself in the mirror and cringed. The jeans were too big for him too even with the belt. He looked skinnier than he was and he knew Cedric was going to notice. _Well, it’s the best we can get right now,_ he thought and tried to fix his hair but it still looked very messy. He opened the door of his room the same moment Dudley was leaving his.

“Where do you think you’re going?” Dudley said with a sneer.

“Out,” said Harry. “To enjoy the sun. That’s the big yellow round thing in the sky, Diddykins,” he grinned and headed to the door.

“I heard you last night,” said Dudley and Harry stopped in horror. “Talking in your sleep.”

“Shut up.”

“Don’t kill Cedric! Don’t kill Cedric!” Dudley said in a mocking voice. “It’s him, isn’t it? The guy outside? Who’s he – your boyfriend?”

“Get bent,” Harry said and opened the door.

“I don’t have to, you already are!” Dudley shouted after him and Harry slammed the door.

Cedric looked at him in surprise, raised his eyebrows but Harry just shrugged so he would let it go and hoped he didn’t hear any of that.

“Come on, let’s go somewhere else,” Harry said and led Cedric away from the house. They walked to the nearby park with a playground and sat down on the grass. There was barely anyone around thanks to the high temperatures. “How did you get here?” Harry asked then.

“Apparated. I already passed my exams for that,” Cedric said. “Okay, so I’ve got some lunch my mom made for us and I also have a cake. Well ... I baked that ... so I don’t know how edible it is.”

“You baked me a cake?”

“I wouldn’t get too excited about it yet,” Cedric smiled. “Oh and I also got you this,” he said and pulled out a small box with a bow on it.

“A present? For ... for me?” Harry stuttered and Cedric nodded. “I ... thank you ...”

“Just open it,” Cedric chuckled.

Harry opened the box and inside of it was a small bracelet. It was made of small black crystals. There was one bigger white crystal amongst them.

“It’s enchanted,” Cedric said. “When you touch the white one, it will surround you with smells that you like,” he smiled. “I thought it would be soothing maybe.”

“Wow,” Harry said. “That’s amazing ... thank you,” he stuttered and put the bracelet on his wrist. He looked up at Cedric who was smiling brightly at him. Harry hugged him and felt very warm and happy inside. “This is one of the nicest things someone has done for me,” he said.

“Happy birthday, Harry,” Cedric said with a smile and they stared at each other for a moment. “Come on, let’s eat,” he said eventually and they started eating the lunch Mrs Diggory prepared for them.

“So how was Wales?” Harry asked with a mouth full of potatoes.

“It was good. My grandmother, of course, heard everything that happened from my parents so she was afraid to let me go anywhere. She told me that no grandson of hers is going to die before her,” Cedric chuckled. “She asked about you too, wants to meet you one day.”

“That would be nice,” Harry smiled.

“I have to warn you though, she is one crazy lady. She will stuff your socks with stones to protect you from evil spirits.”

“Well, you know, maybe that might actually scare Voldemort off,” Harry chuckled.

“Then Cho came to see me there,” Cedric said. “She would have come to see you too but she’s on holiday with her parents now. But she sends her best wishes.”

“Tell her thank you the next time you see her,” Harry said. “How is she doing?”

“She’s alright. It was nice that she came to Wales. I’m going come and see her in Scotland in August,” he said but there was something weird in his voice.

“Are you okay?” Harry asked.

“What? Yeah ... er ... I’m just bit confused lately ... and Cho is so nice ... she doesn’t deserve me to worry her.”

“But she’s your girlfriend if you want to tell her something you should,” said Harry, bit uncomfortable.

“Yeah ... it’s just ...,” Cedric sighed. “I feel like I’m supposed to be dead.”

“What?” Harry exclaimed, horrified.

“No ... it’s hard to describe,” Cedric said.

“Try it. After saying that I want to hear it all, even if it’s messy.”

“It’s ... I feel I should have died ... or ... I know I died so I should be dead ... which means all the things I’m doing I shouldn’t be ... because I’m supposed to be dead ... you know?” Cedric stuttered. “So Cho shouldn’t be with me ... I’m not supposed to exist anymore.”

“That’s ... heavy,” Harry managed to say after a while.

“I know. I’m just not sure what I should do.”

“Did you tell this the healer you’re seeing?”

“I did,” Cedric sighed.

“And? How is that going?”

“Not so great. I told them this and they pretty much said that it’s going to take time for my brain to adjust and that I should try not to pay attention to it,” Cedric said. “That’s not all though ... I hear things ... and I feel things.”

“What do you mean?”

“I hear constant whispers ... as if the things around me were talking ... but I can’t make out what they’re saying,” Cedric explained. “And I can feel the emotions of some people ... it’s like when you go outside and feel the sunshine on your skin,” he said. “So I can feel that you ... are worried ... also happy ... also sad ... and you’re nervous? That’s a lot of emotions at once, Harry.”

“Oh ... wow,” Harry blushed. “That was true.”

“I feel like I’m going mad.”

“Hey, there,” Harry took Cedric’s hand. “You’re not going mad. And even if you were at least I’ll have a partner in crime,” he chuckled. “But it’s okay. I’m not going to say that I understand completely what you’re feeling but I know you. And you’re good. And maybe now you feel that you were supposed to die out there but I’m really glad you didn’t. I can’t imagine what the world would be without you ... and I don’t want to imagine that,” he said and Cedric looked up at him and smiled. “You deserve to live ... that’s why you didn’t die out there. Because you deserve to breathe and you deserve to be happy. And I know it’s messy now but it’s only been a month. It will be better.”

“You don’t know that,” Cedric said.

“Maybe. But I believe it. And I started believing things getting better when I started being friends with you.”

“I ... thank you, Harry,” Cedric smiled and hugged Harry tightly, which made Harry shiver. “Why are you feeling so nervous all the time?” he chuckled.

“I don’t know,” Harry shrugged. “Must be a character trait ... hey, thank you for telling me this.”

“Well, it’s not really birthday talk, is it?”

“Please, it’s much better than my aunt telling me to make breakfast,” Harry chuckled.

They finished lunch in comfortable silence. It was nice, Harry completely forgot about everything else. And he felt warm, not from the hot weather but from something else. He couldn’t quite point it out.

“That was so good,” Harry said after finishing the food. “Tell your mom I love her.”

“Will do, I’m sure she’ll appreciate it,” Cedric chuckled.

Harry wanted to say something else but then he saw Dudley and his gang at the end of the street. “Oh no,” he said. “We’ve got to go.”

“What, why?” Cedric asked confused.

“Come on. It’s my cousin. We don’t want that, trust me,” Harry said and they got up and started putting everything back in the basket. They were about to leave but Dudley and his friends already saw them.

“Hey, Big D!” said one of the boys. “Isn’t that your freaky cousin?”

“Oh yeah,” Dudley said. “Look, he got himself a freaky boyfriend too,” he laughed. “Is that the one you keep crying about at night?”

“Shut up,” Harry said and turned to leave, Cedric following him.

“Oh, don’t kill Cedric, please!” Dudley mocked him again and the boys laughed. “Isn’t Cedric too good for you, Potter?”

“Ignore him,” Harry said and continued walking.

They walked back to the house. Harry motioned to Cedric to stay quiet as he carefully opened the front door. Both uncle Vernon and Aunt Petunia were in the living room watching the television and didn’t pay attention to Harry coming back. They quietly went up the stairs and to Harry’s room.

“Sorry it’s a mess here,” Harry said and tried to quickly tidy some of the things on the floor. “Just sit down somewhere.”

Cedric looked around and decided to sit on the bed. He was confused a bit. Harry told him that the Dursleys hated him but Cedric kept thinking there was much more happening than Harry let on.

“Sorry about Dudley,” Harry said and sat next to Cedric. “I try to avoid him when I can.”

“It’s okay,” Cedric said. “But what did he mean about you crying at night?”

“I ...,” Harry looked uneasy. “I have nightmares ... I keep seeing you dying over and over again ... but ... but you stay dead in the nightmare.”

“Oh ... I’m so sorry,” Cedric said and took Harry’s hand in his own. “Why didn’t you tell me?”

“I didn’t think it was important.”

“It is important,” Cedric said. “Whatever you’re going through is important.”

“Thanks ... but it’s just a nightmare ... it’s not true ... you’re here,” Harry said and tried to ignore the weird feeling he had whenever he got close to Cedric. _I’m not sure what that is but I hope Cedric can’t sense it._

“Okay, but I want you to tell me next time something happens. Even if you think it’s not important.”

“Alright,” Harry smiled.

“Do you dare to try the cake?” Cedric asked.

“Oh, I dare,” Harry chuckled.

They ate the cake which turned out to be actually pretty good. Cedric stayed until the evening and Harry was glad he had someone to talk to. Harry also taught Cedric how to play regular chess and then explained some typical muggle things like how the TV works, which Cedric found fascinating. When it started getting dark, it was time for Cedric to go. They quietly crept outside of the house and onto the street.

“I wish you could stay,” Harry said.

“Me too, but I have to get home,” Cedric said. “Plus, I imagine Dumbledore wouldn’t be too thrilled about me being here.”

“Dumbledore shouldn’t be the one to decide what I do if he doesn’t talk to me at all.”

“That’s true but there’s nothing we can do about it,” Cedric shrugged.

“I s’ppose,” Harry mumbled. “Thank you for this ... I had a great birthday.”

“I enjoyed it too,” Cedric smiled and hugged Harry. “Okay, keep in touch. Bye.”

“You too, bye,” Harry said and with that Cedric apparated and was gone.

Harry returned to his room and lied in his bed. He was sad that Cedric was gone, his room suddenly felt very empty. He looked at his new bracelet and touched the white crystal. Suddenly he was surrounded by a familiar smell. It was like pine trees after rain. It was calming. Harry realised after a while that this was exactly what Cedric smelled like and he got immediately confused. _What’s wrong with me? Isn’t this supposed to soothe me not confuse me more?_ He kept thinking. He needed to tell someone about these strange things he kept feeling whenever he was with Cedric but he didn’t know who. Normally, he would tell Ron or Hermione but even if he did see them now, he didn’t think he could. And Sirius and Remus only cared about the dangerous aspect of Harry’s life. He didn’t even know what it was, maybe he was just coming down with the flu.

The next few days were as dull as before. He got some more letters from Sirius and Remus that were comforting at least. Not really informing him about anything but at least understanding of Harry’s frustration. Harry was on one of his walks around the neighbourhood one day when he ran into Dudley and his gang again. It was evening already so they were parting their ways so Harry only had to deal with Dudley. They argued. Dudley kept mocking Harry about his nightmares and this time Harry’s anger gave in and he drew his wand. They were shouting when suddenly everything turned cold. The sky went black and all the lights went out. It was so silent Harry felt like he was suffocating.

“W-what are you d-doing? St-stop it!” said Dudley, terrified.

“I’m not doing anything! Shut up and don’t move!”

Harry knew what it was. But that was impossible. _Not here,_ he thought, _why here? Isn’t it supposed to be safe here?_ Then it happened all too quickly. The Dementor was gliding towards him. Harry tried to cast the Patronus but an only weak wisp of white light emerged from his wand. He couldn’t think of anything happy. He tried again but it was no use and the Dementor’s icy fingers were already closing on his throat. _Think .... think ... something happy._ Then he thought about his birthday and Cedric’s smile and he shouted the spell again. An enormous silver stag erupted from the tip of Harry’s wand and the Dementor was thrown backwards. A second Dementor was crouching over Dudley and it was about to kiss him. Harry sent the stag towards it.

Afterwards, it was just all very confusing to Harry with Mrs Figg and Mundungus Fletcher of all people fighting about how to tell Dumbledore. When Harry got back to the house with Dudley, everything turned even worse. A letter from the Ministry immediately came for him, while uncle Vernon kept shouting at him, and told him that his wand was going to be destroyed, he was expelled from Hogwarts and he was to attend a disciplinary hearing. Harry felt like his whole world cracked in front of him. But he couldn’t think about it any further as another owl arrived for Harry, this time from Mr Weasley, telling him that Dumbledore is trying to sort it out. _What was he trying to sort out? How much power does he have? And why hasn’t he spoken to me up to this point?_ Then there was a second letter from the Ministry, informing him that he may keep his wand from now and that his expulsion will be decided on the disciplinary hearing.

Harry tried to explain what happened to the Dursleys but it was very difficult. He got another message and uncle Vernon kept cursing the owls. This time it was from Sirius and Remus telling him that Mr Weasley told them what happened and that he had to stay at the house no matter what. He had to explain everything, so Harry decided to tell them about Voldemort as well, which resulted in uncle Vernon trying to kick him out. Then a letter came for Aunt Petunia.

 _“Remember my last, Petunia,”_ said the awful voice of the letter.

And it was decided that Harry was going to stay. Well, aunt Petunia has decided that. Harry wanted to know who the letter was from but she wouldn’t tell him. He was sent to his room and he started writing letters to everyone.

_I’ve just been attacked by Dementors and I might be expelled from Hogwarts. I want to know what’s going on and when I’m going to get out of here._

He copied these words and sent them to Ron, Hermione, Sirius and Remus. Then he thought he should write to Cedric too but didn’t want to write the same thing. So he copied the text again but added few lines under it:

_I’m okay at the moment, I don’t want you to worry too much. If you know anything, please let me know. I was told to stay with the Dursleys for now. I have a disciplinary hearing at the Ministry on the twelfth of August. I don’t know what’s going to happen until then. I haven’t heard from Dumbledore but Mr Weasley said he was trying to sort it out. I hope nothing happened to you and your family. I’ll speak to you soon._

Harry hoped that he would get quick responses but there was nothing the next morning. Harry didn’t leave his room for three whole days except for when he had to go to the bathroom. Harry felt like he was going actually mad. If he was going to be expelled that was it, nothing good in his life could happen after that. He thought about what he would do. _I would probably run away and kept running until I ran over a cliff or something._ Finally, he got a letter from Cedric.

_Harry_

_I’m so sorry I haven’t replied sooner, I’m in Scotland at the minute and I suppose Hedwig couldn’t find me. I can’t believe what happened! It’s awful. I’m so sorry. I wish there was something I could do. I wanted to come and see you immediately but my parents said it wouldn’t be very wise at the moment. I haven’t heard anything from Dumbledore and I am angry that you didn’t either. Please keep me updated on anything that happens and tell me if there’s something I can do to help. I’m glad you’re okay. Cho sends her love._

_Cedric._

The letter calmed Harry a little bit. He felt that he wasn’t completely alone. But he hasn’t had any more letters. On the fourth night, his uncle has locked him in his room and told him they were going out and Harry was to stay there. Harry couldn’t care less. He felt so numb towards anything at this point. The empty house creaked around him as he was lying in his bed. Then he heard a crash in the kitchen below and he immediately got up. He heard voices and he seized his wand quickly. The lock on his door gave a loud click and the door swung open. People were standing in the hallway, eight or nine of them.

“Lower your wand, boy, before you take someone’s eye out,” said a low, growling voice.

It was Mad-Eye Moody. The real one this time.

“It’s all right, Harry. We’ve come to take you away,” said another voice.

Harry’s heart lept. It was Remus and Harry quickly rushed towards him and gave him a tight hug. Then someone finally cast _Lumos_ and Harry could finally see all of them. Remus introduced him to everyone. There was Nymphadora Tonks, Kingsley Shacklebolt, Elphias Doge, Dedalus Diggle, Emmeline Vance, Sturgis Podmore and Hestia Jones. Harry was sure he would not remember all of them. And the very last person, hiding behind everyone was – Cedric Diggory.

“Cedric!” Harry exclaimed and hugged him tightly too. “What are you doing here?”

“I wrote to Lupin to ask if there was something I could do to help,” Cedric smiled.

“And Lupin wouldn’t shut up about how important it is that you two stay together,” growled Moody. “Dumbledore wasn’t too happy about it. If you weren’t such a good wizard, Diggory, you wouldn’t be here with us now, so try not to screw this up.”

Harry got to packing quickly and Cedric and Tonks helped him. Tonks kept talking and Harry decided that he quite liked that. She was a bit odd but it was nice. She was a Metamorphmagus which Harry found fascinating. _I wish I was one so I could stop being me,_ he thought. When they finished packing and went downstairs, Remus was writing a letter to the Dursleys. The trunks were sent ahead of them and they started to get ready to fly.

They got to Grimmauld Place in one piece. Inside, he heard many voices. He got greeted by Mrs Weasley and she told him to go upstairs to see Ron and Hermione. Harry and Cedric climbed upstairs and as soon as he opened the door to the bedroom he was directed to, he was pulled into a tight hug from Hermione. She was babbling, asking Harry if he was alright, apologizing for their short letters and saying how the Ministry can’t expel him.

“Let him breathe, Hermione,” said Ron, grinning as he closed the door behind Harry and Cedric.

Harry was glad to see his friends again and even though they were explaining why they couldn’t tell him anything, Harry couldn’t help but feel a bit strange. There was this icy feeling inside of him. He felt like he would rather be alone even though he wanted to be with Ron and Hermione.

“Cedric, how have you been?” Hermione asked.

“Okay,” Cedric shrugged. “I haven’t had too much information either. When Harry told me he was attacked I managed to convince Lupin to let me help so here I am.”

“Weren’t you supposed to be in Scotland?” Harry said and realised it sounded a bit angrier than he wanted it to.

“Well ... yeah,” Cedric blinked. “But it’s okay ... Cho understood.”

Harry just nodded but couldn’t get rid of the awful feeling inside of him. His heart was beating fast now and he felt like he was underwater again. Ron and Hermione were now explaining the Order of the Phoenix and how its members were tailing Harry all summer to make sure he was safe.

“Didn’t work that well, though, did it?” said Harry. “Had to look after myself after all, didn’t I?”

“Dumbledore was so angry,” Hermione said. “When he found out Mundungus had left before his shift ended. He was scary.”

“Well, I’m glad he left,” Harry said coldly. “If he hadn’t, I wouldn’t have done magic and Dumbledore would probably have left me at Privet Drive all summer.”

Harry felt worse and worse. Everything was becoming hazier. Ron and Hermione kept explaining why they couldn’t say anything and how Dumbledore wasn’t even there most of the time. But before Harry knew it, he was shouting at them. They just kept staring at him and Harry kept shouting. Hermione looked on the verge of tears but Harry couldn’t stop now. It was as if he was looking at himself from outside and couldn’t control anymore what was happening.

“Harry, we’re really sorry,” Hermione said with her voice breaking and Ron went to sit next to her and took her hand.

“Harry, you need to breathe,” he heard Cedric say.

He didn’t realise but he stopped shouting now and he was hyperventilating. He was shivering and his knees were weak. Cedric was by his side and put a hand on his shoulder. “Deep breaths, come on,” he said and was breathing deeply with Harry. Harry felt himself calming down. Tears were running down his cheeks now and he sat down on one of the beds.

“I’m sorry,” he mumbled and Ron and Hermione were now by his side too.

“Mate, we didn’t want it to be like this,” Ron said.

“I know,” Harry whispered. “I didn’t want to shout at you ... I ... I don’t know what’s happening.”

“It’s okay,” said Hermione, her voice still bit squeaky.

They talked more about Order of the Phoenix after. Everyone talked very calmly and Harry realised that Cedric at some point took his hand and wouldn’t let go of it, drawing soothing circles to his palm. Then there was a loud crack and Fred and George appeared in the middle of the room.

“Hello, Harry,” said George. “And Cedric? What are you doing here?” and Cedric just shrugged.

“You don’t want to bottle up your anger like that, Harry, let it all out,” said Fred. “There might be a couple of people fifty miles away who didn’t hear you.”

They explained Harry how they tried to listen to the meetings of the Order with the Extendable Ears but they still couldn’t find out everything that was happening. Ginny joined them soon too and Harry was getting calmer. Cedric still didn’t let go of his hand, however, and that made him feel warm. He found out that Bill and Charlie were in the Order too but apparently Percy had a terrible row with Mr Weasley so it was better if Harry didn’t mention him. Harry also found out that the _Daily Prophet_ kept writing nasty stories about him even though Rita Skeeter was no longer in charge.

“They mentioned Cedric several times too,” Hermione said. “Haven’t you read?”

“We don’t get the Daily Prophet,” Cedric shrugged. “Not after last year. Couldn’t be bothered about it.”

“They basically stick to a story that Harry has cursed you and now you’re under his charm or something,” Hermione explained. “They keep saying that Harry is an attention seeker and charmed you to be the first one of his worshipers.”

“And people actually believe that?” Cedric chuckled but he squeezed Harry’s hand to calm him down.

They were called to dinner after that. On their way downstairs they all kept their voices down. Harry felt shivers down his spine as they passed the hallway. There was a terrible voice shouting from the portrait of an old woman on the wall.

“Shut up, you horrible old hag, shut UP!” roared Sirius’ voice.

Lupin managed to throw a curtain over the painting and Sirius ran to Harry.

“Hello, Harry,” he said. “I see you’ve met my mother.”

Harry hugged him immediately. “I missed you,” Harry said.

“Me too,” said Sirius. “I’m sorry it was so confusing and frustrating. We’ll talk properly after dinner, okay?”

“Alright,” Harry nodded.

They all gathered for dinner. Sirius told Harry about how everyone’s been cleaning the house and how he’s been stuck inside. They started eating. Tonks was amusing everyone with changing her face into different animals and Harry was grinning at that. After dinner, everyone was talking and Sirius tried to tell Harry more about the Order and Voldemort but was shut down by Mrs Weasley, to Harry’s frustration. It only resulted in a fight between Mrs Weasley and Sirius. Eventually, Mrs Weasley agreed that Harry could ask some questions about Voldemort.

Apparently, Voldemort was trying not to draw too much attention to himself because his comeback didn’t go as planned. Harry was not supposed to survive – let alone Cedric. The Order was trying to make sure Voldemort wouldn’t be able to carry out his plans. They thought he was trying to recruit more Death Eaters and build up his army. The Ministry still refused to believe what was happening so the only hope was Dumbledore. Sirius wanted to tell Harry more, about some weapon, but he was again shut down by Mrs Weasley and this time there was no space for discussion.

“I want you in bed, now. All of you,” she said. “Cedric, you’re sharing room with Harry and Ron.”

“Harry, before you go, we want to talk to you for a bit,” Remus said.

“Not about any more of that, I hope,” Mrs Weasley said sternly.

“No, Molly, we just want to have a normal family talk, no more boggarts and dark wizards,” Remus smiled.

“Alright, I trust you know better Remus,” she said and glared at Sirius before she left with everyone else.

“I’m not in trouble, aren’t I?” Harry asked as he sat down facing them.

“No, Harry, not at all,” Remus smiled. “We just thought it would be best to talk normally for a while.”

“Because our letters were horrible, we know,” Sirius sighed. “I’m sorry about that.”

“It’s okay, I understand,” Harry said.

“We’ve been trying to get Dumbledore to inform you more but he wouldn’t change his mind,” Remus said. “You are to stay here now, however. And you can come here for Christmas too.”

“Really?” Harry perked up. “That would be great!”

“I’m glad you’re happy about that,” Sirius said. “We hope next summer you can stay here too but we’ll see about that still. Don’t ask Dumbledore about it, that will probably only make it worse.”

“Okay,” Harry agreed.

“So, how is everything else?” Remus asked. “You said that you kept having nightmares?”

“Just one. It’s the same all the time. Cedric dying.”

“I see,” Remus nodded. “I imagine that’s not getting any better?”

“Not really. It got a bit better after Cedric visited me.”

“He did what?” Sirius asked surprised.

“He visited me for my birthday,” Harry said timidly.

“And again we learn not to judge a book by its cover,” Remus smiled. “That boy never seemed to be up to breaking the rules. Friendship with you has really rubbed itself on him.”

“Oh ... is he in trouble now?” Harry asked.

“Don’t worry, we won’t tell,” Sirius winked. “Better not tell Dumbledore though.”

“Okay,” Harry agreed.

“But I’m glad you have such good friends like Cedric. And I know you’ve been frustrated with Ron and Hermione but they had it hard here too,” Remus said. “Don’t think they abandoned you.”

“I know,” Harry sighed.

“And by the way,” Remus said. “Excellent job on your Patronus, Harry. I’m glad you took care of those Dementors so well.”

“Had a good teacher,” Harry smiled. “How have you two been?”

“Not much exciting happening here,” Sirius said. “As you can see, this place is a tomb and we’re cooped up in here like hamsters. No, excuse me, I’m cooped up in here like a hamster.”

“Stop complaining, Sirius, would you rather be in Azkaban?” Remus scowled.

“Same difference isn’t it,” Sirius huffed.

“And as you can see, Harry, your godfather cannot appreciate anything other people do for him,” Remus said.

“Merlin, here we go again,” Sirius rolled his eyes.

“Yes, Sirius, everyone has been trying to make this place liveable. Would you really rather be in Azkaban? Alone with those Dementors?” Remus said his voice still very calm.

“I don’t know, Remus, alright! It’s not like I feel any happier here!” Sirius shouted now.

“What do you want me to do then? I can’t watch you suffer again in Azkaban,” Remus said quietly now.

Sirius was silent now and Harry was confused. He never witnessed a fight like this before. Sure, aunt Petunia and uncle Vernon had fights but it was usually about which flowers would look the best on their lawn.

“Harry, I’m sorry you had to hear this,” Remus said.

“Yes, sorry, Harry. You should go to bed,” Sirius said and left the room himself.

“Merlin,” Remus sighed and put his face in his hands.

“Remus?” Harry said. “Can I ask you something?”

“Sure, Harry, anything.”

“Are you ... are you and Sirius ...,” he stuttered. “You and Sirius are together, right?”

“You didn’t know?” Remus blinked. “Oh, Merlin, I’m so sorry, Harry. I thought he told you. This must be a lot for you.”

“No, it’s okay. Hagrid told me actually. He laughed at me for not noticing,” Harry chuckled.

“Well, it is quite obvious,” Remus smiled. “But you have a lot of other things on your plate. Plus you grew up with muggles and I don’t know how they look into these kinds of relationships.”

“It doesn’t bother me,” Harry said. “I’m happy for you. Although, I’d be happier if you didn’t fight.”

“Yeah, me too. He’ll come around,” Remus said. “He probably just went to sulk to the bedroom, he’ll be alright when I get there.”

“You love each other, don’t you?” Harry asked.

Remus looked at him and then smiled. “Yes, we do, very much, Harry. And even if we fight.”

“I’m glad.”

“You should go to bed now,” Remus said. “But don’t be afraid to talk to us about anything, okay?”

“Okay,” said Harry. “Goodnight, Remus,” with that he hugged Remus and went upstairs.

Ron was already snoring, as expected. Cedric was lying in his bed but was still awake.

“Everything okay?” he whispered.

“Yes,” Harry said. “Goodnight, Cedric.”

“Goodnight, Harry,” Cedric whispered.

Harry changed into his pyjamas and climbed into his bed. He didn’t even realise how tired he was. He was asleep almost immediately.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I love angsty Harry, he is such a drama queen. But yeah, I feel like that hasn't been handled very well in the books so I will try to develop it more, I hope.  
> Also, I wanted to have a family moment with Sirius and Remus because I love them.
> 
> And Cedric is a good egg.
> 
> Thanks for reading :)


	9. Grimmauld Place

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The rest of the summer in Grimmauld Place is very busy and very challenging for Harry.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So remember I said this one is going to be shorter? Well, it is shorter, just not that much shorter :D  
> Okay, it's the rest of the summer. I really hope it's not getting boring!!
> 
> Thank you for all the lovely response on this fic :)

Harry didn’t have any nightmares until the early morning. He recognized the dream was turning into the familiar nightmare and tried to fight it. He managed to make himself wake up with a jolt. Luckily, both Cedric and Ron seemed to be still asleep. It was already light outside but it was still early. Harry decided to go to the kitchen and see if he could get some breakfast. He crept out of the room quietly and very carefully walked down the stairs and the hallway. He was just outside the kitchen when he heard voices coming out of it. It was Sirius and Remus, they were whispering softly, trying not to wake anyone.

“Where did you disappear last night?” Remus asked.

“I changed into Padfoot,” Sirius said. “I stayed with Buckbeak.”

“Tea?” asked Remus and Harry could hear him filling the kettle.

“I’m sorry,” Sirius said. “I shouldn’t have said what I said.”

“It’s okay.”

“No, it’s not, Moony,” Sirius sighed. “I’m glad you’re here with me. If you weren’t I would’ve gone bonkers long time ago.”

“You are bonkers,” Remus chuckled. “That’s why I stick around.”

“Just for that?” Sirius smirked. “Or is it my great hair too?”

Harry smiled to himself. He wasn’t sure if he should come in but he didn’t want to go back to his room either. So he decided to come into the kitchen. He walked in just when Remus was pouring hot water in the cups and Sirius was hugging him from behind and kissing his cheek.

“Stop it, Pads, I’ll spill it,” Remus said.

“Oh, good morning, Harry,” Sirius said as he noticed Harry and he let go of Remus who immediately looked up.

“Harry, you’re up early,” he said. “Tea?”

“If you have water left, that’d be nice,” Harry smiled and Remus took out another cup and made him tea.

They sat down by the table together, Harry facing both of them.

“I’m sorry if I disturbed you,” Harry said timidly.

“Not at all,” Remus smiled

“Slept well?” asked Sirius.

“Alright,” Harry shrugged.

“I think you’ll have to wait for everyone with breakfast but maybe there’s something small you could have,” Remus said.

“It’s okay,” Harry said. “Are you feeling better, Sirius?”

“Yeah, don’t worry,” Sirius smiled. “I’m sorry I walked out like that yesterday.”

“It’s okay, I understand.”

“Oh, and Sirius,” Remus said. “You forgot to tell Harry something important as we found out last night,” he smirked.

“What?” Sirius asked.

“After you left last night,” Remus said with a cheeky smile. “Harry tells me that he didn’t know his godfather was into werewolves until Hagrid, of all people, told him. Care to tell us why you didn’t inform Harry?”

“I didn’t think it needed to be said,” Sirius shrugged. “Also Harry was dealing with a lot of stuff so I didn’t want to drop this bomb on him.”

“You could have told me,” Harry said. “I’m happy that you’re together.”

“Well, my mistake,” Sirius smirked. “And for the record, I’m into just this particular werewolf. And I hope you’re not traumatized by your godfather snogging your old teacher.”

“If you stop saying it like that I’m sure he won’t be,” Remus said sternly.

They all had their tea and talked some more. It was nice, Harry found. He felt like he was truly with his family. Harry found out that Sirius tended to change into Padfoot whenever he felt sad or angry. Padfoot was his comfort blanket because of all the nice memories he had when he, and the other Marauders, learnt how to become Animagi. Padfoot helped Sirius calm down and gave him space to sort out his thoughts. When he changed into Padfoot, even Remus couldn’t do anything, he just had to wait for Sirius to be ready to talk. Harry never thought that Sirius would be like that, he always seemed so quick to act and very determined no matter what. But everyone had their struggles. Harry wanted to know more about how their relationship started and what it was like when Sirius was in Azkaban but he felt too shy to ask. And soon enough, the rest of the house was waking up and coming down for breakfast.

“Mum planned so much cleaning for us,” Ron said as he sat down next to Harry. “I wish I was Cedric, he got out of it.”

“What, how?” Harry chuckled and looked at Cedric who sat on the other side of him.

“It wasn’t on purpose,” Cedric said. “I have to leave for a few days.”

“Why?” Harry asked, a bit sad now.

“I didn’t bring everything I need,” Cedric said. “And I have to talk to my parents, tell them what’s happening. I also promised Cho I would come back to update her on the situation. And I’m seeing my healer tomorrow.”

“Oh,” Harry said. “But you’ll be back?”

“Of course,” Cedric smiled. “I’ll be back before your hearing. I’ll bring the rest of my things so I can stay here with you for the rest of the summer.”

“Okay,” Harry said. “When are you leaving?”

“After breakfast,” Cedric said. “You’ll be fine, Harry. You’ve got Ron and Hermione. And so many other people. I hardly think you’ll miss me,” he smiled.

“I will,” Harry said. “But yeah, I’ll be fine,” he smiled at Cedric and then turned to look at Sirius who winked at him as if he knew something he didn’t.

Cedric left after breakfast as he said but not without hugging Harry goodbye. The rest of them went to clean the drawing-room with Mrs Weasley. They were interrupted by Mundungus arriving at the house which made Mrs Weasley leave the drawing-room to shout at him. Thanks to that, the portrait of Sirius’ mother started screaming again. George went to shut the door so they wouldn’t have to listen but before he did so, Kreacher sneaked inside. Meeting the house-elf of the Black family was no delight at all. Unlike Dobby, Kreacher was very nasty, kept muttering insults to himself. Hermione kept insisting that he was not in the right mind and they should set him free. Sirius, who came into the room as well, said it was impossible as the elf knew too much about the Order now. The elf tried to steal a tapestry but Sirius sent him away. The tapestry was the family tree of the Blacks. Harry noticed that Sirius was not on there.

“I used to be there,” said Sirius. “My sweet old mother blasted me off after I ran away from home.”

“You ran away from home?”

“When I was about sixteen,” said Sirius. “I’d had enough.”

“Where did you go?” asked Harry.

“Your dad’s place,” said Sirius. “And when I was seventeen I got a place of my own. With Remus, of course,” he smiled. “It was hard to convince him, he’s too proud, and I didn’t mind paying for everything. Remus never had too much money and my Uncle Alphard left me quite a lot. We wanted to open a bookshop together,” he said. “But we never did. Maybe in the future.”

Harry suddenly felt a wave of sadness for Sirius. He asked why he left and Sirius told him more about his family and their pure-blood craze. Sirius’ younger brother, Regulus, also told their parents about Sirius and Remus and Sirius was forbidden from seeing Remus. Regulus joined Death Eaters and died young. Sirius didn’t know much of Regulus’ death and seemed reluctant to talk about it. Harry didn’t blame him. Mrs Weasley brought everyone sandwiches for lunch but Harry remained with Sirius, wanted to hear more about his family. He found out that Sirius and Tonks were related and, what surprised him more, Sirius and the Malfoys were too! But as it turned out all the pure-blood families were related somehow. Harry asked more questions but Sirius was soon a bit on edge.

“I don’t like being back here,” he said. “I never thought I’d be stuck in this house again.”

Harry understood and felt ashamed that he wanted Sirius to come to live there. That he had written Remus to help him convince Sirius. He felt that he and Sirius were more similar than he thought. Sirius just wanted to be helpful and do something but instead, he was locked away for his own safety.

“It’s okay,” Sirius smiled at Harry when he noticed him thinking. “I’ve got Moony.”

Harry smiled. It must have been hard for Remus to put up with Sirius some times, he thought. Sirius was hard work when he was in good mood, let alone when he was sulking. But this was different. This was a genuinely hard time for Sirius.

“Moony is a saint,” Sirius said. “That’s what your dad always used to say. He said no one could put up with me but Moony,” he smiled.

“When ... when did you get together?” Harry asked.

“In our fifth year,” Sirius said. “Well, we danced around each other for a long time before. Your dad and Peter constantly made bets over us,” he chuckled. “Remus was too shy to make a move and I was too proud. But on Christmas that year, James got fed up with us and charmed mistletoe above us. We were stuck under it for a long time, it didn’t let you go until you kissed the other person, and we were both very stubborn.”

Harry smiled at the story. But Sirius soon brought him back to reality and said he would like to come to his hearing as Padfoot. Harry completely forgot about his hearing and suddenly he felt himself shivering a bit. Sirius put his hand on Harry’s shoulder.

“Don’t worry,” he said. “I’m sure they’ll clear you.”

“But if they do expel me,” said Harry quietly. “Can I come back here and live with you?”

“We’ll see,” Sirius smiled sadly.

Mrs Weasley stopped their talk and ushered Harry to eat some of the sandwiches while there was still some left. Harry wasn’t hungry at all but had to eat because Mrs Weasley was looking at him sternly. They all continued with the cleaning after that. Several times Kreacher tried to come in to smuggle something and save it from being thrown away but Sirius never let him. By the end of the day, Harry was exhausted. Sirius seemed to be in a better mood after throwing away so many of the precious family possessions. He was telling Harry over dinner about one of their pranks during Hogwarts and Harry couldn’t stop laughing. After dinner, he and Ron went to their room, ready for bed.

“That was exhausting,” Ron yawned. “And imagine mum has work for us for the next few days.”

“Well, at least we’ll make it easier for Sirius. I can’t imagine him doing it on his own,” Harry said.

“He wasn’t around much before you arrived,” Ron said. “He was constantly in his dog form.”

“He does that when he’s upset.”

“I thought having people would be better for him.”

“Yeah. But he just hates the house. Plus it’s not like he can do much when they’re making plans against Voldemort.”

“I guess. The only time I saw him not in his dog form was after the full moon. And that was only when he came to the kitchen to grab food for Lupin.”

“I hope he’s going to be okay,” Harry mumbled. “I feel bad for making him come here.”

“You didn’t make him come here, Harry,” Ron said. “Besides, what else can he do? It’s the best option at the moment.”

“I know. He’s just so unhappy.”

“I know. But at least Lupin is here with him.”

“Yeah,” Harry smiled. “I can come here and spend Christmas with them.”

“Really? That’s great, mate. Maybe we could all come here for Christmas.”

“That would be nice. I’d like that,” Harry said. “I’m sure Sirius would too.”

“Are you nervous?” Ron asked after a while. “About your hearing.”

“Yes,” Harry said and felt his stomach turn. “I don’t know what I’d do if I can’t go back to Hogwarts.”

“I’m sure it’ll be fine. Dad said that they just probably want to scare you.”

“Well, it’s working.”

“Dumbledore won’t let them expel you.”

“I don’t know, he hasn’t talked to me at all.”

“I know and it’s weird. But he’s not going to let them do that,” Ron assured him. “And whatever happens, I’m sure mum won’t let you go back to the Dursleys,” he chuckled.

“Yeah,” Harry smiled.

They kept silent after that, both falling asleep pretty soon as they were extremely tired. The cleaning craze continued for the next few days. Several people stopped by the house, like Snape or Professor McGonagall, but Harry always just caught a glimpse of them. Tonks came to help them clean few times and Harry really grew to like her. Lupin was leaving the house quite often now, for some mysterious work for the Order. Sometimes he wouldn’t come back for days, which only dampened Sirius’ mood and he would stay as Padfoot for the time Remus was gone. Harry tried talking to him but when Sirius changed into Padfoot, there was no chance. It made Harry sad to watch Sirius like that but he focused on the cleaning and as long as he was busy, he was happy. He didn’t have any outbursts or nightmares during these days so he genuinely hoped he was getting better. But it all faded quickly, as the evening before the hearing arrived and Harry was picking on his dinner. Mrs Weasley told him she ironed his best clothes and that he should wash his hair as well to make a good first impression the next morning. Mr Weasley was going to take him to the Ministry and although Harry was glad he was not going alone, he was sad Sirius couldn’t come with him. Dumbledore stopped in the night before to tell them that it was not a good idea that Sirius would come too. Harry was asleep when it happened and it made him feel terrible that Dumbledore would not stop to talk to him.

“I think it’s for the best, Pads,” Remus said gently to Sirius who was stabbing his food moodily. “You’ll see Harry in the morning and when he gets back. He’ll be fine with Arthur.”

“I ...,” Sirius sighed. “I need to go,” he got up from his seat and left the kitchen.

“I’ll go after him,” Remus said and got up as well. “It’s going to be okay, Harry. We’ll see you in the morning.”

There was a knock on the front door and Remus went to open. “Just on time,” Harry heard him say and then Remus went upstairs after Sirius.

“I’m sorry I’m late for dinner,” Cedric said as he came into the kitchen and Harry’s heart leapt.

“That’s okay, Cedric, have a seat,” said Mrs Weasley and put a plate with food for Cedric next to Harry.

“How are you feeling?” Cedric whispered to Harry as he sat down.

“Could be better,” Harry smiled. “But okay. How are you?”

“Alright,” Cedric shrugged. “We’ll talk upstairs.”

Harry just nodded. He was finished with dinner before Cedric and Mrs Weasley ushered him to go wash his hair. When he got into his room, Cedric was already there, as well as Ron and Hermione. They were all sitting on Harry’s bed.

“We can leave if you guys want to talk,” Hermione said. “I just wanted to come to make sure you’re okay.”

“You can stay guys,” Cedric said with a smile.

“Yeah, I want you all to be here,” Harry said and sat down on his bed with all of them. “So, how are your parents?” Harry asked Cedric.

“They’re okay. They weren’t too happy about me staying here for the rest of the summer but they understand,” Cedric said. “Dumbledore came to visit us.”

“Really?” Harry perked up. “What did he say?”

“Well, he invited my parents to the Order. But they don’t want to get too involved. My dad said that he will obviously be on Dumbledore’s side and will do anything that needs to be done but he doesn’t want to endanger our family too much,” Cedric said. “So basically they now know where the Order is and can come here but they won’t get too involved.”

“Well, that’s understandable,” Hermione said. “They already almost lost you.”

“I know,” Cedric said. “But I’m of age so they can’t stop me from getting involved. And I want to be.”

“So you are in the Order?” Harry asked.

“I wanted to join but Dumbledore wouldn’t let me. He said that he appreciates my courage and all that but I should focus on finishing school first and then we’ll see. So I’m allowed to be here but I’m not allowed in the meetings.”

“Like us,” Ron said. “Fred and George are not allowed either and they are of age too. But then they have our mum for a mother,” he chuckled.

“I think your mum is my mum’s next level,” Cedric laughed.

“What about your parents, Hermione?” Cedric asked.

“Well...,” Hermione said nervously. “They know the gist of what’s happening. But I don’t tell them too much so they don’t get worried. I convinced them that this was the safest place for me at the moment.”

Harry felt his stomach turning again. He didn’t like everyone risking their families when he wasn’t even allowed to do anything. And it all felt like it was his fault.

“And how is Cho?” he asked then.

“She’s alright,” Cedric said nervously. “She sends her best wishes to everyone,” there was something strange in his voice.

“Is everything okay?” Harry asked.

“Yeah,” Cedric said. “It’s just ... we kind of broke up.”

“Oh, I’m sorry, why?” said Harry.

“It’s okay, don’t worry,” Cedric smiled. “It’s just ... with everything that happened ... I think I wasn’t all there. You know ... everything is still a bit foggy for me ... and it just wasn’t fair for her.”

“So you broke up with her?” Ron asked and Hermione nudged him a bit to shut up.

“No ... actually ... she broke up with me,” Cedric said. “But it was fair. We both said that we were much happier when we were friends. And I’m still having troubles adjusting to the world ... so it’s for the best, really.”

“Are you sure?” Harry asked.

“Yes, Harry, don’t worry,” Cedric smiled. “We’re still good friends ... she just deserves someone better than me.”

“There’s hardly anyone better than you,” Harry blurted out and everyone just looked at him for a moment.

“Thanks,” Cedric smiled after a while. “But it’s okay, really. It’s just too much happening right now.”

“Okay,” Harry said. “And how was your healer?”

“The same as always. Nothing unusual,” Cedric shrugged.

“I’ve read a muggle book on near-death experiences,” Hermione said. “It was very interesting. Maybe I can see if I can find it, it could help you.”

“That would be nice, thanks,” Cedric smiled.

There was a knock on their door. Mrs Weasley came in to rush them all to bed and scolded them for keeping Harry up so late before his hearing. Hermione left to her room she was sharing with Ginny and the boys went to sleep. Harry couldn’t fall asleep and kept turning around. He was dreading the next day. Everything his life was built on could change from tomorrow. He was determined to stay with Sirius and Remus if he couldn’t go back to Hogwarts. There was no way he would go back to the Dursleys. No matter what Dumbledore said. _It’s okay, they didn’t expel me when I blew up Aunt Marge, they can’t expel me now,_ he thought but it didn’t assure him one bit. After a long while, he managed to finally fall asleep.

He woke up early the next morning too, so he really didn’t get much sleep. Ron and Cedric were still asleep. Harry changed into the clothes Mrs Weasley prepared for him the night before and quietly tried to leave the room. He didn’t want to wake anyone. Ron seemed he was impossible to awake anyway. When Harry passed Cedric’s bed, however, the boy caught his hand and Harry stopped.

“I hope you didn’t think you’d sneak by without saying goodbye,” Cedric whispered and got up.

“I didn’t want to wake you,” Harry whispered and looked at Cedric. Cedric’s hair was all over the place and Harry found it quite endearing. _Wait, what?_

“It’s going to be okay,” Cedric said quietly and hugged Harry. “You’ll do great.”

“Thanks,” Harry mumbled.

“Just take deep breaths, okay. I’ll see you after.”

Harry nodded and then left the room. He went down to the kitchen. Sirius and Remus were already there, as well as Mr and Mrs Weasley and Tonks. Mrs Weasley made Harry some breakfast but he couldn’t really eat that much. He just had a bit of toast while Mrs Weasley fussed about his shirt. Tonks was very tired, just coming back from her night shift. Mr Weasley was telling Harry where the hearing is going to be and then Sirius and Remus reminding him to keep calm. Mrs Weasley was fussing about his hair now but Harry was just very numb to everything.

“It’s going to be okay,” Sirius said.

Harry nodded. Mr Weasley looked at him and decided they should better go. Mrs Weasley hugged Harry goodbye. Remus and Sirius hugged him too and then Harry and Mr Weasley was off. They walked through the muggle streets and Mr Weasley was fascinated by everything. They took the underground train through London and it seemed that Mr Weasley was having the best day ever. _At least someone is enjoying this,_ Harry thought to himself and couldn’t help but smile every time Mr Weasley exclaimed praises at the muggle system.

They got to the Ministry of Magic via an old telephone box which Harry found odd. They walked through the Ministry and Harry felt very overwhelmed by everything. His wand was examined too before they could go anywhere further. They headed to Mr Weasley’s office. Mr Weasley’s office was interesting but Harry didn’t have enough time to observe it. Soon Mr Weasley got a phone call that his hearing was moved to eight o’clock so they hurried there. Harry was extremely anxious. They rushed to the courtroom and Mr Weasley nudged Harry to go inside. Harry was so nervous, plus Mr Weasley couldn’t come in with him. His hands were shaking and his heart was beating fast. _Deep breaths now,_ he reminded himself and went inside.

He was scolded for being late and told to take a seat. There were so many people. Probably about fifty of them dressed in the same robes. In the middle of the front row sat Cornelius Fudge. Percy was there too, taking notes but he didn’t even look at Harry. Fudge started naming people who were present when Dumbledore burst in as a witness for Harry and stood behind him. Harry felt a bit more assured now that he wasn’t alone in all this even though Dumbledore ignored him up to this point. Harry was then interrogated. As it seemed, Fudge thought that Harry made up the Dementors but some of the people seemed surprised. Then, Mrs Figg was called as a witness of the whole event. Harry thought that she wasn’t very convincing but was glad he had at least someone. She left the room after giving her statement and Fudge still seemed he didn’t believe them. Then Dumbledore tried to convince Fudge that the Dementors took orders from someone else than the Ministry. A witch that was sitting to the right of Fudge started speaking after that. She was the Senior Undersecretary to the Minister, Dolores Jane Umbridge. Harry thought that she looked horrible and her voice was even worse. Then it just seemed as a battle between Fudge and Dumbledore and Harry felt as if he was just an excuse for this. He could feel himself growing more and more anxious and he focused on his breathing. Finally, the verdict was made. Harry was cleared and he felt a huge lump leave his throat. Dumbledore looked satisfied but didn’t even spare a look at Harry and left hastily.

Harry was surprised at Dumbledore’s sudden departure. He went back to Mr Weasley, who was waiting for him outside and told him he was cleared. Mr Weasley seemed relieved and happy. They were about to leave but were stopped by Lucius Malfoy who was talking to Fudge. Harry’s stomach turned at the sight of him, he instantly remembered the night at the graveyard, where he saw Lucius Malfoy the last time. They exchanged few words and it was all very unpleasant both for Harry and Mr Weasley.

Mr Weasley took Harry back to Grimmauld Place. Everyone looked very relieved that Harry was cleared. The twins were chanting about it and dancing. Mr Weasley told them about seeing Malfoy with Fudge and then left to go back to work. Mrs Weasley forced Harry to the kitchen to have some lunch. Harry sat down and Cedric sat next to him, with Ron and Hermione opposite of him. They all looked very giddy with the turnout of the events. Harry told them about Dumbledore and how he wished he would talk to him and none of them knew what to say to that. But Harry was still happy that he got off. His happiness was soon replaced with anxiety as his scar started burning and he clapped his hand over it.

“What’s up?” said Hermione, looking alarmed.

“Scar,” Harry mumbled. “But it’s nothing ... it happens all the time now ...”

Hermione still looked anxious about it and Cedric too. None of the others seemed to notice as they were helping themselves to food. The twins and Ginny were still singing until Mrs Weasley scolded them.

“I think you should tell Sirius and Remus,” Cedric said. “About your scar.”

“It’s okay,” Harry shrugged.

“It’s important, Harry,” Hermione said. “They ought to know.”

Harry looked at Ron to help him but the boy just shrugged and didn’t say anything. Harry sighed and after lunch decided to talk to them. He knocked on their bedroom door.

“Come in,” he heard Remus’ voice.

He opened the door and closed it after himself. Remus was sitting on a sofa and reading a book. A huge black dog was lying next to him, with its head resting on his lap. Remus’ other hand rested on the dog’s head.

“Harry,” he smiled. “I heard the chants. Well done, we knew you’d be okay,” he said.

Harry sat down on the armchair opposite the sofa and Padfoot jumped at him to hug him. Harry scratched his ears and then Padfoot went back to lie next to Remus.

“We would’ve come downstairs but thought it would be for the best to give you bit of space with the chanting crowd,” Remus said. “How are you feeling?”

“Great,” Harry smiled. “Although I wish Dumbledore would talk to me. He left immediately after it was over.”

“I wish he would too,” Remus said. “But Dumbledore has his own way of doing things and there’s no point in questioning it.”

“I guess,” Harry shrugged. “I wanted to talk to you about something. It’s not that important, but Cedric and Hermione thought I should.”

The dog sat up on the sofa and changed immediately into Sirius. “Go on then,” he said.

“It’s my scar,” Harry said. “It keeps hurting lately. But it’s nothing else. I’m sure it’s just because Voldemort is back.”

“Maybe,” Remus said and both he and Sirius looked troubled. “But your friends are right, it’s good you came to tell us.”

“Has it been hurting nonstop?” Sirius asked.

“No, just sometimes.”

“Does it hurt a lot?”

“It depends. Sometimes it’s just like a vibration. Today it was burning pretty bad.”

“Hm,” Remus hummed thoughtfully. “It’s probably linked to Voldemort but we have no way of knowing how just yet,” he said.

“Have you had any more nightmares?” Sirius asked.

“Not lately, no,” Harry said.

“That’s good,” Sirius said.

“Yes,” Remus agreed. “Please tell us if it starts hurting again, Harry. Or if you have any nightmares. I’m not sure we can do anything about it but we’d like to know.”

“Okay,” Harry nodded.

“And when you’re in Hogwarts and it burns a lot, go see Madam Pomfrey, or Dumbledore, alright?” Sirius said.

Harry promised he would do that and then left. The next few days were the same as before. They continued with cleaning the house. Harry noticed that Cedric kept a close eye on him ever since the scar incident but Harry refused to discuss it further. He didn’t want anyone to worry over nothing. His scar was always hurting and it was only bound to now that Voldemort has returned. Harry just wished they would stop treating him as if he was going to break any minute. Sirius was very moody these days and kept mostly to his dog form. Remus was out a lot, which didn’t add to that. Harry felt a bit guilty because Sirius seemed that he wanted Harry to stay there instead of going to Hogwarts. But that was only because he felt lonely. Remus assured Harry that Sirius was going to be okay but even Remus looked a bit gloomy about it when he was in the house. When it was a full moon, Remus locked himself in the attic. Thanks to the wolfsbane potion, which Sirius made sure Remus didn’t forget to take (and every time he made him take it Remus would eat a lot of chocolate afterwards), Remus could stay in the house for the full moon. He would sleep through his change but that would make it no less painful. The day after the full moon, Remus would slowly climb downstairs to the bedroom and Sirius would come out only to get him food. Everyone was told to be quiet these days by Sirius, although Remus told them before not to make any fuss about his change.

The end of the holidays was approaching and Harry was excited to go back to Hogwarts. But he was anxious about leaving Sirius and Remus. He told himself that he would have to write to them more. But he could not wait to see Hagrid and to play Quidditch again. They got their letters soon with the book lists. Ron got a surprise with his book list and it was the Prefect badge. He was dumbfounded. The twins started making fun of him and saying they would think Harry would get the badge. Then Hermione burst in with her own Prefect badge and looked surprised too when she found out Ron was the one to be Prefect. Harry was glad it wasn’t him. He didn’t want to draw too much attention to himself, especially after what the Daily Prophet was writing about him. Plus, Ron was a good choice for a Prefect; he deserved to have something of his own. Cedric came in soon too, opening his own letter, to find out that he was made the Head Boy, which was no surprise. Mrs Weasley came in after that and was so thrilled to hear about Ron being a Prefect that Harry was really glad Ron was chosen. She took the lists from everyone and, still boasting about Ron, went to leave for Diagon Alley. The twins were still teasing Ron about the badge and Hermione scolded them about it. They left after that and Ron rushed to tell Mrs Weasley what broom he would like as a reward for being a Prefect.

Harry was happy for them, he really was, but he couldn’t help but feel a bit left out. _Am I jealous?_ he thought to himself. _Ron deserves this, they both were there for me every time I needed them. I need to stop being a horrible person,_ he thought. The main thing that went through his head, however, was the fact that all of his friends are now going to be busy with school duties. That meant that he was going to be left alone most of the times. _Maybe it’s for the best, you’re a terrible company lately._ Hermione then went to write to her parents about being a Prefect and Harry was left with Cedric.

“Aren’t you going to write to yours?” Harry asked. “Head Boy, that’s an achievement.”

“I’ll write to them later,” Cedric said. “But it was pretty obvious I was going to be one.”

“Congratulations anyway. It’s great.”

“Are you okay?”

“Yeah,” Harry said and smiled. Cedric narrowed his eyes but didn’t say anything.

Ron soon returned to the room, saying that he managed to catch Mrs Weasley before she left and talk to her about the broom.

“Cool,” Harry said. “Listen – Ron – well done, mate.”

“I never thought it would be me!” he said, shaking his head. “I thought it would be you.”

“Nah, I’ve caused too much trouble,” Harry said. “Besides, you deserve it. If it weren’t for you and Hermione, I’d be dead by now,” he chuckled. “And I’m glad I don’t have the responsibilities.”

They packed their trunks after that. Mrs Weasley returned in the evening with their books and a new broom for Ron. She decided to throw a small party instead of dinner to celebrate Ron and Hermione being Prefects and Cedric being the Head Boy. Harry was glad to see her in such a good mood, she seemed on edge the whole summer. Some of the other members of the Order were there too and it was a very pleasant evening. Moody showed Harry an old photograph of the original members of the Order and was telling him what happened to each of them. When Harry saw the faces of his parents and Wormtail, however, he felt his stomach sink down. He excused himself, saying he hasn’t packed everything, and left to his room. Cedric soon came after him.

“You okay?” he asked.

“Yeah, just had to get out for a bit,” Harry smiled.

Cedric looked like he wanted to say something else but they heard sobbing from the drawing-room. They went there and found Mrs Weasley, who went to deal with the Boggart that was hidden in a drawer there. She was sobbing as there were appearing all the Weasleys, one by one, dead. Harry even saw himself, lying on the floor, dead. They took Mrs Weasley out of the room quickly and Remus went to deal with the Boggart instead. They all gathered around Mrs Weasley, who was still sobbing. Soon, she calmed down and apologised, saying she was being silly. Harry felt weird though. His scar was itching as he quietly climbed back to his room. He didn’t even realise that Cedric was following him.

“Stop,” Cedric said as they were inside the room. “I can see you thinking about it.”

“What?”

“None of this is your fault, okay? You’re not responsible for people’s fears.”

“I ... I know,” Harry said weakly.

“Harry,” Cedric said and sat down next to Harry. “People die in wars. That’s just how it is. And the only people that are to blame are the ones who kill them.”

“But ... they’re going to fight because of me.”

“No,” Cedric said. “If it weren’t you, it would be someone else. It’s not your fault Voldemort is back. You didn’t have a choice in this. We all did, and we’ve chosen to support you, support Dumbledore.”

Harry just nodded.

“I wish you wouldn’t take so much blame all the time,” Cedric said and placed his hand on top of Harry’s.

“I’ll ... I’ll try.”

“And I’m sure everyone here will try their best to protect each other. You just have to trust everyone, okay?” Cedric said.

Harry looked at Cedric who smiled at him and Harry nodded. Cedric then ruffled his hair and they got ready for bed. Ron soon arrived too and they all went to sleep. Harry, once again, couldn’t sleep very well, nightmares coming to him once again. He woke up to his scar burning and Ron was already getting ready, telling him to hurry. Cedric was already dressed and looked over at Harry. When Ron left for breakfast, Cedric came to sit down next to Harry once again.

“You had nightmares?”

“No,” Harry lied.

“I heard you,” Cedric said. “I wanted to do something but didn’t know what.”

“Oh, it’s fine,” Harry shrugged. “We should get going,” he said as he wanted to avoid that conversation. Cedric just nodded and they went downstairs.

They all were in a terrible hurry. Cedric’s parents arrived to take Cedric to the train station. Harry was accompanied by Remus and Padfoot and they walked to King’s Cross. Padfoot was running around the streets very happily and Harry couldn’t help but smile at that. He looked at Remus who was smiling at the dog too. They got to King’s Cross in twenty minutes and the others soon joined them. Cedric’s parents were very nice to Harry, which was a pleasant change. It seemed that Amos Diggory tried to show he was no longer upset with Harry. They all hugged goodbye and then climbed onto the Hogwarts Express. Harry was soon abandoned by Ron, Hermione and Cedric as they went to meet with the other Prefects. So Harry was left alone. _It’s okay_ , he thought and went to find Ginny to see if he can sit with her.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I wanted Harry to have more moments with Sirius and Remus so here it is. I hope you liked it :)
> 
> Thank you, again!! :)


	10. Back home

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> First week at Hogwarts is ... eventful.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Harry keeps struggling. Umbridge is terrible. But it's Cedric's birthday!  
> (So many things happen)
> 
> tw for alcohol and smoking, I guess?

Harry joined Ginny and Neville and they tried to find an empty compartment. There was space in a compartment with Luna Lovegood, who Harry didn’t know. She was a year below him, in Ravenclaw, and she was friends with Ginny. She seemed a bit odd but Harry liked odd people, he felt safe with them. Whenever Luna spoke, it felt like they were in a dream. She was like Alice in Wonderland, Harry thought. Neville was showing Harry a plant he got for his birthday. Harry wasn’t particularly interested in plants but he listened to whatever Neville said as he promised himself to be a better friend to him. It escalated quickly, however, and the plant sprayed everyone with a dark green liquid that smelled horrendous. Just at that moment, Cho Chang walked by and decided to come in and say hello.

“Oh ... hello, Harry,” she said. “Um ... bad time?”

“Oh ... hi,” said Harry and wiped his glasses.

“I just wanted to see how you were doing ... Cedric kept me updated on your summer,” she said.

“Um ... I’m okay,” Harry said. He didn’t know if he should be friendly with her since she and Cedric just broke up. But then Cedric said they were still friends, plus Cho was always nice to him. “How was your summer?”

“It was good, thanks,” she smiled. “Well ... I’ll see you later ... bye.”

She left and Ginny took out her wand and cast a cleaning spell on everyone. The liquid vanished along with the smell.

“Thanks, Ginny,” Neville said. “I’m sorry.”

“It’s okay, Neville,” Harry said.

Soon the food trolley passed by so they all bought some sweets. Harry enjoyed the ride so far. Neville, Ginny and Luna were actually a very nice company. _Maybe I should talk to other people more often,_ he thought. But he still wished that Ron, Hermione and Cedric would join them soon. They came into the compartment after an hour and Ron immediately started eating.

“I’m just coming to say hi,” Cedric said. “I’ll join the other Hufflepuffs if that’s alright. I haven’t seen anyone the whole summer.”

“Oh ... sure,” said Harry. “We’ll see you later.”

“See you,” Cedric smiled and left.

Harry was a bit sad that he didn’t stay with them but he understood. After all, Cedric spent most of the summer with them and he must have had friends of his own. _He’s popular, I forgot,_ Harry thought. _So why would he stay here with me and the other weirdos?_ But he had to admit Cedric couldn’t neglect his friends just for them. Plus he had plenty of people to talk to now. He had to stop being so selfish. Ron and Hermione told them everything about the other prefects. Of course, Malfoy would be one for Slytherin. Harry couldn’t wait for when he would throw it in his face. They continued discussing the perks of being a prefect while Luna kept reading _The Quibbler_. Harry noticed there was an article about Sirius in it so he asked if he could borrow it. Harry wasn’t sure if the article was a joke or not. There was an interview with a woman in it and she claimed that Sirius was not Sirius at all. According to her, he was a singer of some band and he was innocent because, on the day of the murders, he was with her. Harry laughed a bit at the article. They were interrupted by Draco Malfoy coming in the compartment with Crabbe and Goyle.

“What?” Harry said aggressively.

“Manners, Potter, or I’ll have to give you a detention,” said Malfoy. “You see, I, unlike you, have been made a prefect, which means that I, unlike you, have the power to hand out punishments.”

“Yeah,” said Harry. “but you, unlike me, are a git, so get out and leave us alone,” everyone burst out laughing and Malfoy’s lip curled. “Plus looking at your face is a punishment enough.”

Malfoy left eventually, threatening Harry as he did so and Harry pretended he didn’t care. He was thinking about Sirius and Remus coming with him to the station and how carefree it was. But the dread filled him as he thought how dangerous it was for Sirius. What if someone knew? What if someone noticed? What if someone followed them to the house? He was pulled out of his thoughts by Hermione who announced that they should get changed. The train was slowly stopping and soon it was time to get off. Harry was excited to see Hagrid again, but he wasn’t there calling the first years. There was not much time to question it but Harry hoped he was going to see Hagrid soon.

They walked to the stagecoaches where another surprise waited for Harry. The stagecoaches were no longer horseless like before. But the creatures that were pulling it weren’t exactly horses. Harry couldn’t say what they were. He stared at them. Why no one else was bothered about it? He asked Ron about it but he looked at him as if Harry was not right in the head. Ron couldn’t see them for some reason. _Maybe I am going completely mad and I’m seeing things,_ he thought as they climbed into the stagecoach.

“It’s all right,” said Luna. “You’re not going mad or anything. I can see them, too.”

“Can you?” asked Harry, feeling a bit relieved.

“Oh yes,” said Luna. “I’ve been able to see them ever since my first day here. They’ve always pulled the carriages. Don’t worry. You’re just as sane as I am.”

She smiled at him and climbed into the carriage as well. Harry wasn’t sure if he felt reassured. He liked Luna but the fact that only she and he saw those creatures didn’t really add up to if they really existed. Harry just decided to drop it and climbed in after her.

Harry really hoped he would see Hagrid in the Great Hall but he wasn’t there. It was all very strange. None of them knew where he was. Harry looked over to Cedric, who was at the Hufflepuff table. Cedric, as if reading Harry’s thoughts shrugged and mouthed “it’s going to be okay” but Harry didn’t feel very reassured. His confidence fell even lower after he noticed a familiar person at the teachers’ table. It was Dolores Umbridge from his hearing. He immediately told his friends and they looked troubled that someone who worked for Fudge was suddenly at the staff table in Hogwarts. The Sorting Hat then broke into a song but it was different from the usual song he chanted at the beginning of each year. It sounded more like a warning. ­The first years were being sorted after that and they all started eating. Dumbledore then gave his usual warnings and announced the change of staff. Professor Gruby-Plank came back to teach Care of Magical Creature instead of Hagrid but Dumbledore didn’t say where Hagrid was. Then he introduced Dolores Umbridge as the new DADA teacher. _Oh, I really hope something will happen to this one,_ Harry thought. Dumbledore started speaking about the Quidditch try-outs but was interrupted by Professor Umbridge who wanted to talk to the whole school for some reason. Her speech was terrible, in Harry’s opinion. No one was really paying attention to what she was saying, anyway. Harry noticed that Professor McGonagall looked especially annoyed by the speech. After she stopped talking, Dumbledore clapped and continued talking about Quidditch again. Harry looked at Ron and Hermione. Ron was still stuffing his face, not really bothered by anything, but Hermione narrowed her eyes.

“It looks like the Ministry’s interfering at Hogwarts,” she said.

Ron and Hermione had to walk the first years so Harry found himself alone once again. He looked over at Cedric but he was busy too, he managed to give him a small smile, though. So Harry walked up to the Gryffindor common room with Neville. They walked into the dormitory where Dean and Seamus already were. It turned out that Seamus almost didn’t come back to Hogwarts because his mother believed whatever the Daily Prophet was writing. Seamus asked Harry about what happened that night with Cedric but Harry didn’t want to discuss it. Before he knew it, he snapped at Seamus and then they were arguing. Ron walked in at that and tried to sort it all out.

“You know what, I don’t want to share a dormitory with him anymore, he’s mad!” Seamus said. “I bet Diggory is just under a curse or something. You hung around with him all the time last year. Why would he hang out with you of all people?”

“That’s enough, Seamus,” Ron said, his ears getting red.

“So you believe all the rubbish he’s come out with about You-Know-Who, do you, you reckon he’s telling the truth?”

“Yeah, I do!” said Ron, angrily.

“Then you’re mad too,” said Seamus.

“Yeah? Well, unfortunately for you, pal, I’m also a prefect!” said Ron. “So unless you want detention, watch your mouth!”

Seamus looked offended but kept quiet. He stormed off to his bed and shut the hangings around it. Ron glared at everyone. “Anyone else’s parents got a problem with Harry?” he said aggressively.

Harry felt so angry, he was shaking. Dean was speaking now, saying that his parents, because they were muggles, knew nothing about what was happening. Neville said that his grandmother cancelled her subscription to _The Daily Prophet_ now and that they believed Harry. Harry was grateful for that but he couldn’t stop shaking. Everything was becoming dazed again but he tried to ignore it. He looked at Ron who smiled at him reassuringly and Harry nodded to say thank you. He climbed into his bed and shut the hangings around him too. He touched the white crystal on his bracelet and immediately was surrounded by a soothing smell. This time it was the smell of tea, old books and fire, which reminded him of Sirius and Remus. Harry thought that maybe he shouldn’t have snapped at Seamus like that but he didn’t like being called a liar. _It’s not going to be just Seamus,_ he thought. _Soon other people will start calling you a liar; you have to keep it cool._

Seamus seemed to avoid Harry as much as he could. They told Hermione in the morning what happened with Seamus and she told them that Lavender was saying the same things, which made Harry annoyed.

“Been having a nice little chat with her about whether or not I’m a lying, attention-seeking prat, have you?” he snapped suddenly.

“No,” said Hermione calmly. “I told her to keep her big fat mouth shut about you, actually. And it would be quite nice if you stopped jumping down our throats, Harry, because in case you haven’t noticed, Ron and I are on your side.”

There was a short pause.

“Sorry,” said Harry. _I’m so stupid,_ he thought immediately. _I’m such a terrible friend._ “I don’t know why I keep snapping like that,” he said in a low voice.

“That’s quite all right,” said Hermione. “Anyway, we have to stick together. And we have to try to be friends with the other houses too. Only that way we can stand a chance against You-Know-Who.”

Ron and Harry weren’t too thrilled about that. The idea of trying to make amends with Malfoy wasn’t that exciting.

“Well, Harry’s been unifying with Hufflepuff enough last year anyway,” Ron smirked and Hermione sent him a stern look.

“What’s that supposed to mean?” Harry asked, confused and bit annoyed.

“Just that you and Cedric are really close, that’s all,” Ron shrugged and looked a bit flushed now.

“Yeah? And? I’m close to you and Hermione too.”

“Mate, calm down, I was only teasing you,” Ron said.

“Do you not like Cedric?” Harry asked. He felt the anger building up again.

“No, we love Cedric,” Hermione said. “We’re really glad you’re close,” Harry still looked confused and Hermione and Ron exchanged looks.

“Mate, it’s okay, I’m sorry, alright,” Ron said.

“How about we talk about this later,” Hermione said. “We should get breakfast.”

They walked to the Great Hall and while Ron and Hermione talked about their classes, Harry kept quiet. He was, once again, lost in his thoughts. _Why am I so angry all the time? It was nothing to get mad over. Ron didn’t say anything nasty. I really should calm down._ They sat down at the Gryffindor table and Hermione pushed a plate with a toast to Harry. He looked over the Hufflepuff table where Cedric was. He smiled at Harry and waved at him. Cho was sitting with Cedric, which confused Harry a little. Ron looked over to where Harry was looking as well.

“Hm,” Ron said. “I thought they broke up.”

“What?” Hermione asked and then looked over as well. “Oh, well he said they were still friends. You can’t erase someone from your life just like that.”

Harry didn’t say anything and looked down at his toast. He was not feeling like eating too much but he knew there was no way of getting out of it. The thing was that Harry didn’t realise how little he and Cedric saw each other in Hogwarts. They were in different houses, they were in different years and they had different friends. After spending the summer with Cedric, it was very strange and Harry felt a bit separated from him.

“I don’t know what to give him for his birthday,” he said quietly to his friends.

“Oh, is it his birthday soon?” Hermione asked.

“Yes, at the end of the week. He went through so much trouble on mine, I want to do something for his too.”

“Well, we’ll help you figure something out,” Hermione smiled.

They were interrupted by Angelina, who walked over to them to tell Harry she was made the Quidditch captain this year. Oliver Wood was gone which meant they needed a new Keeper. She told Harry about the try-outs on Friday and that the whole team had to be there. Harry was excited to play Quidditch again, he missed flying. Fred and George came to talk to them afterwards and Hermione scolded them for their products that they kept advertising to people to try. They talked about their plan to start a joke shop and Harry kept quiet. He didn’t want anyone to know that he gave them his Triwizard winnings. They noticed Harry was getting nervous and they left soon. Ron and Hermione then kept discussing O.W.L.s and what they wanted to do after Hogwarts. Ron said that he was thinking of trying to be an Auror, which interested Harry too. Hermione said she would like to try taking S.P.E.W. further and Harry and Ron only exchanged a look. They went to their classes after that. History of Magic was as boring as always and Snape was horrible to the whole class at Potions again. At lunch, Ron and Hermione were bickering about something and Harry felt frustrated.

“Oh, shut up, the pair of you,” said Harry. “You’re always having a go at each other, it’s driving me mad.”

With that, Harry took his school back and walked up to Divination class. Ron joined him in five minutes and sat down next to him.

“Hermione and me have stopped arguing,” he said. “But Hermione says she thinks it would be nice if you stopped taking out your temper on us.”

“I ...,” Harry sighed. “I know ... I’m sorry. I feel very weird lately ... but it’s not your fault.”

“Maybe you should talk to Cedric,” Ron said. “He always calms you down.”

“Hm,” Harry grunted.

After Divination they had double Defence Against the Dark Arts. Harry's stomach sank low as they walked in. He had a bad feeling about Professor Umbridge. He felt the familiar shivers in his hands as he sat down in the classroom. The class was very dull. They had to be quiet, put away their wands and quills and they all had to read the first chapter of the textbook. Hermione raised her hand determinedly and after ten minutes, Professor Umbridge finally asked if Hermione had a question about the chapter.

“I’ve got a query about your course aims,” said Hermione.

“Well, Miss Granger, I think the course aims are perfectly clear if you read them through carefully,” said Professor Umbridge.

“Well, I don’t,” said Hermione. “There’s nothing written up there about using defensive spells.”

Professor Umbridge then started saying that there was no need for them to use defensive spells. That no one is going to attack them during the class. Hermione then argued that the point of DADA was to practise defensive spells but Professor Umbridge just said that they were going to learn about the defensive spells in a secure, risk-free way.

“What use is that?” said Harry loudly. “If we’re going to be attacked, it won’t be in a –“

“Hand, Mr Potter!”

Harry thrust his hand in the air but Professor Umbridge turned away from him. Dean Thomas then backed Harry up. Professor Umbridge then just went on about how they have been taught irresponsibly in the past, introduced to dangerous half-breeds (Harry felt his anger rising up at that) and that they have been frightened to think they will get attacked every other day. She said that they were going to learn the spells in theory and practise them at the examination for the first time, which no one seemed happy about and Harry was getting more and more frustrated.

“So we’re not supposed to be prepared for what’s waiting for us out there?” Harry said hotly.

“There is nothing waiting out there, Mr Potter,” she said in a sweet voice. “Who do you imagine wants to attack children like yourselves?”

“Hmm, let’s think ... Maybe Lord Voldemort?” Harry said.

Everyone gasped when Harry said the name. There was a terrible silence after that. Professor Umbridge took ten points from Gryffindor and then said that what they’ve been told about Voldemort was a lie.

“It’s NOT a lie!” said Harry. “I saw him, I fought him!”

This granted Harry detention. Professor Umbridge repeated that he was lying and then proceeded with teaching the class. Harry, however, saw red. He stood up and everyone was staring at him.

“So what happened to Cedric Diggory was not real at all, according to you?”

“Mr Potter, Cedric Diggory never came to any harm. I’m not going to comment on anyone’s mental state and hallucinations.”

“It was murder,” said Harry. “I saw him die.”

“Then why is Mr Diggory walking through the school and looking as healthy as ever, Mr Potter?”

“The curse was too weak,” Harry shouted and felt himself shaking. “But Voldemort almost killed him and you know it.”

Professor Umbridge was quiet after that. She simply wrote a note on parchment and gave it to Harry saying to take this to Professor McGonagall. Harry took the parchment and left the classroom, slamming the door as he walked out. He was walking down the corridor to Professor McGonagall’s office but had to stop. He leaned on the wall and took deep breaths. _No, not again,_ he thought as he was shaking. He tried to focus on his breathing, heard Cedric’s voice in his mind telling him to calm down and breathe, as he did over the summer. After he calmed down a bit he went to see Professor McGonagall.

Professor McGonagall didn’t seem she was angry at all. She eyed Harry and asked if what happened in the class was true and Harry said it was. Then she offered him a biscuit. Harry sat down and took a biscuit, utterly confused. Professor McGonagall then warned Harry to be more careful, to think about who Dolores Umbridge was reporting to. The parchment said that Harry also had a detention every evening for the rest of the week with her.

“Are you feeling alright, Potter?” she asked then and Harry just shrugged. “I want you to go and see Madam Pomfrey every now and then. Diggory does so now, on Albus’s advice, but I think you should too.”

“Why?”

“Look at the state of you, Potter,” she said. “You need to pull yourself together if you want to survive Dolores Umbridge.”

“Um ... okay ... thanks.”

Dinner at the Great Hall was no easy experience that day. The news that he shouted at Professor Umbridge travelled fast and everyone was staring at him, whispering. Harry didn’t feel hungry at all, he just stared at his plate. He felt someone sitting next to him suddenly.

“Um ... hey,” Cedric said. “Do you know why is everyone telling me to go to St. Mungo’s? And asking me if you hit me in the head or something?”

“Oh ... that’s my fault ... sorry,” Harry said timidly and kept staring at his dinner that he hasn’t touched.

“I’ve heard what happened,” Cedric said.

“Then you know. Why you’re asking?”

“Because I wanted to hear it from you and not from some random Ravenclaw who wasn’t even there at the time.”

“Yeah ... well,” Harry mumbled. “I think I’m going to bed,” he said and got up.

“No, wait,” Cedric stopped him. “I want to make sure you’re okay.”

“I’m fine.”

“We should talk,” Cedric said. “I have to see Madam Pomfrey tonight. But maybe tomorrow evening? In the kitchens?”

“I can’t ... I’ve got detention,” Harry said. “For the rest of the week, actually. I’m sorry ... I’ll talk to you later,” he said and left the Great Hall, Cedric just stared after him.

“Sorry, Cedric,” Hermione said. “He’s been weird all day and now this happened, I think he needs some time.”

“Um ... yeah,” Cedric said as he sat down with them. “Has he eaten enough today?”

“He had breakfast,” Ron said. “But he left lunch early, so he didn’t eat much there. And he ate nothing now.”

“We don’t really know what to do,” Hermione said. “Harry’s been always difficult but not like this. I’m worried about him.”

“Yeah, he’s really mean to us too, which is unusual,” Ron said.

“I know, I noticed over the summer,” Cedric sighed.

“We told him he should talk to you because you always seem to calm him down,” Ron said.

“Well, you saw what happened now,” Cedric said sadly.

“Yeah. He’s going to start thinking again that he should avoid you,” Hermione sighed. “We have to talk some sense into him.”

“Thanks, guys,” Cedric smiled. “I’ll try to get him to talk to me.”

When Ron and Hermione returned to their common room, Harry was already sitting by the fire and doing his homework. They sat down with him and started working too.

“How are you feeling, mate?” Ron asked.

“Alright,” Harry shrugged. “I’m sorry about earlier.”

“Look, Harry,” Hermione said and took Harry’s hand. “We get that you’re angry. And we might not understand everything that’s going on in your head but you need to talk to us. _Please._ ”

“I know,” Harry said quietly. “I’m just not sure how to explain it. Professor McGonagall suggested I should go see Madam Pomfrey from time to time.”

“I think that’s a good idea,” Hermione smiled.

“Well it means I’ve gone completely mad, doesn’t it?”

“Of course it doesn’t,” Ron said. “Cedric sees her too.”

“Yes, and it only makes sense. Many muggles seek professional help even if nothing traumatic happened to them,” Hermione said. “There’s no shame in that.”

“I suppose,” Harry said.

“And talk to Cedric, mate,” Ron said. “He’s worried about you.”

“I know. I will.”

“You should probably write to Sirius and Remus at some point too. I’m not saying now, but soon. They’d like to know, I think,” Hermione said.

“Hmm,” Harry mumbled. “Can we talk about something else now, please? We’ve been talking too much about me, what’s happening with you?”

“Okay,” Hermione smiled. “Well, I’ve been trying to get Fred and George stop testing their products on first years but Ron doesn’t want to help me with that.”

“You’re putting me in a difficult position, Hermione,” Ron smirked.

“It’s okay, I threatened to write to Mrs Weasley if they don’t stop, which seemed to terrify them.”

“See, you’re handling it yourself just fine,” Ron chuckled but Hermione glared at him.

They worked on their homework for a while and then went to sleep. Seamus seemed to look at Harry oddly but didn’t say anything to him. Harry decided not to deal with him for the time being and just went to sleep.

The next day Harry tried not to think about his upcoming detention. He ate the toast Hermione shoved on his plate and then they went to classes. Everyone was scaring them with O.W.L.s and Harry felt stressed. The amount of homework they were getting in each class was terrible. Harry had a terrible headache all day but didn’t mention it to anyone. They walked to Care of Magical Creatures and as they passed Hagrid’s hut, Harry felt sad. He missed Hagrid and wondered where he went. _But then, a person less to worry about me,_ he thought. Malfoy was being a git as usual during the class and Harry felt his anger rising. But he tried to ignore it. They met Luna Lovegood on their way to Herbology and she told Harry that she believed him. Hermione scoffed at that and said that Harry could do much better than Luna because she wasn’t giving the best picture to it all as she believed only in things that had no proof. But Harry liked Luna. To Harry’s surprise though, Ernie Macmillan then stepped up to him and told him that he and his family stood behind him too. Harry was taken aback, but pleased. _Maybe everything is not so bad,_ he thought.

When he walked to dinner, Harry was stopped by Angelina Johnson, who scolded at him for having detention on Friday evening for the Quidditch try-outs. She told him sternly that he better get out of it because the whole team had to be there. Then she marched off. Harry just sighed, he knew there was no way he could get out of the detention on Friday.

After dinner, Harry said goodbye to Ron and Hermione and went to Professor Umbridge’s office. Her office looked so terrible, it was giving Harry even a worse headache. Everything was so pink, it looked like a unicorn threw up in there. Harry tried to ask her if he could skip the detention on Friday but it was no use, obviously. She gave him a quill and a piece of parchment and told Harry to write _‘I must not tell lies’_ as many times as was necessary. Harry started writing and as he did, there was a piercing pain in his hand. As he kept writing, the pain was getting worse and worse. He realised that the ink of the quill appeared to be his own blood and that made him feel sick a little bit.

Professor Umbridge let him go after what seemed like hours. Harry was sure it was close to midnight. He left her office and broke into a run. As he turned the hallway that led from the DADA classroom he crashed into someone so hard that they both collapsed to the floor.

“I’m so sorry,” Harry said and was trying to get up.

“It’s okay,” the other boy said and Harry finally looked who it was. “Cedric. What are you doing here?”

“I’ve been patrolling this corridor,” he said. “I was waiting for your detention to end.”

“You’ve been patrolling here the whole time?” Harry asked in disbelief.

“Um ... yeah,” Cedric said timidly. “I was worried about you.”

“Oh ... er ... thanks.”

“Come on, I’ll walk you upstairs,” Cedric smiled and they started walking. “How was detention?”

“She only made me write some lines,” Harry said but made sure that Cedric could not see his hand.

“This whole time?”

“Yeah,” Harry mumbled. “But I’ve got to come back for the rest of the week. I can’t come to our Quidditch tryouts on Friday. Angelina will have my head.”

“I’m sorry about that,” Cedric said sincerely. “How are you feeling?”

“Tired. But alright,” Harry said. “I’m sorry about yesterday. I shouldn’t have left like that.”

“It’s okay,” Cedric smiled.

“It’s not. You were only trying to talk to me. I don’t know what’s with me lately.”

“You spent too much time in your head because it’s easier than facing the people around you.”

“Yeah,” Harry mumbled. “How was your session with Madam Pomfrey?”

“It was good. I like talking to her better than my healer at St. Mungo’s. I don’t know, I just trust he more,” he said.

“McGonagall told me I should go see her too.”

“I think that would be good,” Cedric said. “And she’s really nice, Harry, there’s nothing to worry about.”

“I know. So, how are you feeling?”

“It’s getting better. It’s good to be back. But some of the people treat me like a mental case. And my friends seem to be worried around me as if I was about to break any minute. But it’s getting easier to ignore the rustles of voices and people’s emotions.”

“That’s good,” Harry said, relieved that Cedric wasn’t trying to read his emotions at the moment. “But I’m sorry about your friends.”

“It’s okay, they’ll come around.”

They walked up to the portrait of the Fat Lady now.

“Well, this is my stop,” Harry said nervously and looked up at Cedric. “Thank you.”

“No problem,” Cedric smiled. “Harry, I know it’s difficult with everything and that we don’t see each other much now, but please, don’t be afraid to talk to me.”

“I know,” Harry said.

“I care about you a lot,” Cedric said quietly.

“I ... I know ... I care about you too.”

“Good,” Cedric said. “Now go to sleep,” he gave Harry a tight hug and then they said goodnight.

Harry had no time to finish his homework before he went to sleep because he was very tired. So he decided to skip breakfast the next morning and catch up on it. Ron joined him, to Harry’s surprise. It was unlike Ron to skip any food. Ron said that he was busy with other stuff last night so he couldn’t do it either. When he asked Harry about his detention, Harry just said he was writing lines all night and left it at that. He made sure no one could see his hand and ask questions. Harry was so behind on his homework, he decided to skip lunch too and write the rest then. They obviously received more homework during the day in their classes and Harry didn’t know when he was going to find time to do it. Angelina Johnson found him at dinner and she was very disappointed with Harry for not being able to attend the Quidditch tryouts on Friday. She said Harry had a bad attitude and should think about his commitment to the team. The next detention was as terrible as the previous one and Professor Umbridge let him out around midnight again. Cedric was not waiting on Harry this time and Harry was glad because he was determined to work on his homework. He rushed to the Gryffindor common room, ignored his exhaustion and started working. He went to sleep very late but at least he had some things done.

On Thursday, his detention was cut shorter, fortunately. On his way through school, Harry ran into Cho Chang.

“Oh, hi Harry,” she said. “I was looking for you earlier, actually.”

“Um ... really? Why?” Harry blinked.

“It’s Cedric’s birthday on Saturday,” she said and Harry could’ve slapped himself because he completely forgot. “The Hufflepuffs are throwing him a party in their common room. It’s a secret because Cedric would never agree to that,” she smiled. “Anyway, his friends asked me to invite you too. You should bring Ron and Hermione as well.”

“Uh ... okay.”

“You know where the Hufflepuff common room is?”

“Yeah, by the kitchens, right?”

“Yes. Be there before seven in the evening, someone will let you in. Don’t tell anyone else, we don’t want the teachers finding out.”

“Okay, thanks, Cho,” Harry smiled.

“No problem, see you there,” she said and left.

Harry walked back towards the Gryffindor Tower when he ran into Ron who was hiding behind a statue, clutching his broom. He was hiding from Fred and George, apparently, but that didn’t explain the broom.

“I – I thought I’d try out for Gryffindor Keeper now I’ve got a decent broom. There. Go on. Laugh.”

“I’m not laughing,” said Harry. “It’s a brilliant idea! It’d be really cool if you got on the team!”

Harry genuinely wished Ron could get in. Ron loved Quidditch and it was unfair he didn’t play in school. They talked more about it as they walked towards the common room. But then Ron noticed Harry’s hand.

“It’s just a cut – it’s nothing – it’s –“

Ron grabbed Harry’s hand and looked at it properly. He looked horrified and there was deafening silence between them.

“I thought you said she was just giving you lines!”

Harry sighed and explained what was really happening in his detention. Ron started cursing Professor Umbridge and tried to convince Harry to see Professor McGonagall or Dumbledore but Harry refused.

“Just let it go, Ron. It’s the last one tomorrow, anyway.”

“Okay,” Ron frowned. “But I don’t like it.”

“And don’t tell anyone.”

“What? Not even Hermione or Cedric?”

“No. Please. I’m going to be okay, I promise.”

“Okay, Harry,” Ron agreed reluctantly and they walked into the common room.

“Oh, by the way, I really need your help, guys,” Harry said as they sat down by the fireplace with Hermione. “It’s Cedric’s birthday on Saturday and I completely forgot. I don’t have anything for him.”

“Well, how are you going to get anything now? There’s no Hogsmeade trip,” Ron said.

“I know. I thought I’d ask Dobby maybe,” Harry said nervously and looked at Hermione.

“Knowing Dobby, he wouldn’t mind,” Hermione shrugged. “You just need to figure out what to get him.”

“Yes, that’s the problem,” Harry sighed. “Oh, and there’s a party. Cho told me about it today. You’re invited too but don’t tell anyone. Saturday evening, Hufflepuff common room.”

“Sounds cool,” Ron said enthusiastically but Hermione frowned disapprovingly.

“I’m not sure Cedric would like everyone breaking the rules like that,” she said. “And for his gift, Harry, you know him the best, what does he like?”

“Um ... he likes blueberry muffins ... the colour green ... he likes plants, apparently he has a little greenhouse at home. He’s also interested in photography ... but like those muggle cameras that make your picture straight away.”

“See? That’s plenty of stuff,” Hermione smiled. “Why don’t you get him a camera then?”

“Isn’t it too big for a birthday?”

“You’re right. You can give that to him for Christmas. Just give him some plant. Ask Neville about it.”

“Okay, thanks,” Harry smiled.

He went to talk to Neville, who was delighted to speak about plants with Harry. He listed all the ones that he thought would be nice as a birthday gift. Harry was particularly interested in a house plant that changed colours of its petals according to the person’s mood. Neville wrote the name of the plant on a piece of parchment and Harry went to the kitchens to talk to Dobby.

“Er ... Dobby? Hello?” he asked and the house-elf appeared immediately.

“Yes, Harry Potter, sir, how kind of you to visit Dobby here.”

“I need a favour if that’s okay.”

“Of course, anything Harry Potter needs, sir, Dobby will help him,” the elf squeaked enthusiastically.

“Okay, can you go to Hogsmeade for me tomorrow and buy me this plant?” Harry asked and gave Dobby the piece of parchment and some money. “Neville said that should be enough money for it.”

“Dobby will do that, sir. Dobby will bring your plant tomorrow, sir.”

“Thank you so much, Dobby,” Harry smiled.

The next day was Friday, which meant that it was Harry’s last detention. That didn’t make it any less horrible. Also, when Umbridge went to examine his hand, his scar started hurting again, which made Harry worried. After his detention, he ran back to the Gryffindor Tower where everyone was celebrating. Ron was in the team as Keeper and Harry was so happy for him. Angelina talked to Harry after that, apologising for snapping at him the other day, and telling him to come to the Quidditch practise the next day. When Harry went to the dormitory, Dobby was waiting for him there with the plant.

“Thank you so much, Dobby,” Harry smiled.

“It was no problem, anything for Harry Potter, sir,” Dobby said.

On Saturday morning, Harry decided to catch up on some of his homework and also write to Sirius and Remus. He felt all right overall. He was glad his detention was over and he was excited for Quidditch to practise that day. He also couldn’t wait for Cedric’s birthday party and really hoped that Cedric would like his gift. He kept his letter to Sirius and Remus quite casual, didn’t want to raise any unnecessary questions. He mentioned his scar hurting, however, because he promised them he would do that. He also said he was missing Hagrid, hoping that maybe they knew where he was. He also asked how they were doing and if anything has happened since they haven’t seen each other.

The Quidditch practice didn’t go that great. Malfoy and his gang bothering them every so often. Ron was nervous and their nasty comments didn’t make it any better. They had to end earlier as well because Katie Bell got a terrible nose bleed from a Quaffle that hit her face. Ron didn’t feel very confident after that but Harry and Hermione tried to cheer him up, saying that he will do better next time. They went to do some more homework before the party.

As it was approaching seven in the evening, the three of them got ready to go to the Hufflepuff common room. On their way there they were joined by Fred and George.

“What are you guys doing here?” Ron asked.

“Well, you’re not the only special Gryffindors,” Fred said.

“Yeah, who do you think helped supply the party with cool party stuff,” George smirked.

“Cool party stuff?” Hermione raised her eyebrow. “I hope you don’t mean alcohol.”

“Ask us no questions and we’ll tell no lies,” the twins said in unison.

They were all waiting in front of the Hufflepuff common room when the doors opened and one of the students, who Harry recognized was Cedric’s friend, let them inside. The common room was nice. The yellow decorations were oddly soothing. There was fire cracking in the fireplace and banners with _‘Happy birthday, Cedric’_ were floating in the air. There was a gramophone in the corner that played some music. Harry recognized that it was muggle music. There were a lot of people, some of them Harry knew from their classes. But there seemed to be no one younger than them.

“What about the other students?” Hermione asked. “Surely this must disturb them.”

“Oh, not to worry. We told them what was happening and the common room is charmed so the noise doesn’t get to the dormitories,” the Hufflepuff boy said.

Hermione seemed pleasantly surprised at that. Harry looked around and noticed that there indeed was alcohol but he wasn’t too keen to try it. _Better not mess up my head more,_ he thought. Someone shushed at everyone because Cedric would be there any minute with Cho and everyone went quiet. Somebody else flicked their wand and all the light has vanished, so they were quietly waiting there in the dark. After a few minutes, the entrance opened and they heard Cedric coming in with Cho.

“Well you can come in, I’ll find the book you wanted,” Cedric said as he stepped in. “Why is it so dark in here?”

Then the light was back on and everyone shouted “SURPRISE!” and Cedric blinked, astonished and then started laughing.

“Merlin, that’s why you insisted on coming here with me!” he said to Cho. “Whose work is this?” he laughed and looked at the boy that let Harry in. “Ryan? You cheeky bastard!”

“Okay, everyone!” Ryan shouted. “There’s alcohol and other drinks there in the corner, help yourselves! But before anything, bring the cake!”

Cedric looked flushed as some of the students brought the cake that had eighteen candles on it. Everyone started singing _Happy Birthday_ and Harry couldn’t stop smiling. It was all so nice, he was so glad they organized it for Cedric (and cared to invite him too). Cedric blew out the candles and couldn’t stop laughing. Afterwards, there was a queue of people who wanted to wish Cedric happy birthday individually and give him gifts so Harry decided to wait. The twins were mixing a drink for Ron and Hermione got into a discussion with one of the Hufflepuff girls about S.P.E.W. and funnily enough, the girl seemed interested. Cedric came over to Harry after a while.

“Hey, there,” he smiled.

“Hey,” Harry blushed. “Happy birthday! Here,” he said and gave him the plant. “I ... I hope you like it.”

“Oh ... wow ... is that what I think it is?” Cedric said and observed the plant. “Oh, that’s so great, thank you so much, Harry,” he hugged Harry tightly. “I’ll go put it upstairs, have some cake.”

Cedric went upstairs and Harry decided to try the cake. After Cedric came back, Harry didn’t have much chance to talk to him, as Cedric seemed to be always stopped by someone else. Harry was handed a drink from Fred and he took it.

“What is it?” he asked.

“Just drink it, Harry,” Fred winked. “Relax, it’s a party.”

Harry drank it and it was so strong he shivered. “Ugh, that’s gross,” he said.

“Yeah, you’ll like it in a while,” Fred smirked and poured him another one. “Cedric’s popular, huh?”

“Yeah,” Harry said. “But it’s nice. I didn’t know Hufflepuffs were like this.”

“Are you kidding? They just seem they’re the good students. But they’ve got the best stuff.”

“What stuff?” Harry blinked and Fred gestured for him to look around. Some of the students were smoking in the corner and there was a circle of people passing a joint to each other. “Oh,” Harry managed to say.

“Oh, Harry ... so innocent,” Fred smirked. “So how’s your little crush doing?” he asked.

“What?” Harry blinked, oblivious.

“Cedric.”

“I don’t have a crush on Cedric,” Harry said.

“Harry,” Fred laughed. “You’re so oblivious, it’s adorable.”

“I ... what? I don’t get it?”

“Look, I’ve seen you looking at him with puppy eyes for a year now. Let alone this summer.”

“I ... what?” asked Harry. _I don’t have a crush. Do I? No, we’re just friends. I just care for him like for any other friends._

“Harry, how do you know you like someone?” Fred asked with a smile.

“I ... I don’t know.”

“Well, think about it. When I was your age, I’d be glad someone gave me a little nudge. I was almost as oblivious as you are,” Fred winked and then went to talk to some other people.

 _Wait, what?_ Harry thought. _Is Fred like me? Wait, what do you mean ‘like me’? What am I?_ Harry kept thinking and had another drink. He looked over to Cedric who was now talking with some of his friends and was radiating happiness. Harry’s heart gave a jolt and he gulped the drink now. Cedric was handsome, that was a well-known fact. But at that moment, he was beautiful. _Wait, what? You don’t describe someone as beautiful, do you? And even if I did like Cedric like that, what’s the point? He’s way too good for me. Plus he probably doesn’t like me this way, anyway. It’s just not going to happen. Not that I want it to happen._

Hermione soon found Harry and told him she was going to bed. Harry just nodded but didn’t go with her, saying he was going to wait for Ron, who seemed to be enjoying himself a lot. Hermione nodded and hugged Harry goodbye and then left. Harry ended up in the corner with some other students and someone offered him a cigarette. Harry refused but after another drink, he took one. It was terrible, he couldn’t stop coughing. _Anything to keep my mind off it,_ he thought.

By midnight everything was so dazed.

“Hey,” said Fred who appeared next to Harry again. “Maybe you should ease up now, okay. Ron is going to bed now too, you should join him.”

Harry nodded. “Yeah, okay. I’m just going to say goodbye to Cedric.”

Harry couldn’t find Cedric anywhere. His friends just shrugged when he asked about him. He wasn’t in any of those circles either. Harry walked up to their dormitory but he wasn’t there either. He walked back down.

“Oh, I think I found the birthday boy!” shouted Ryan, who was very drunk at this point. He pointed to one of the curtains and someone else opened them, revealing Cedric and Cho, kissing. They immediately stopped and both of them blushed while the rest of the people laughed. Harry felt sick. _Oh no,_ he thought. _Fred was right._ He was shivering again and found Ron quickly.

“Let’s go,” he said and Ron frowned and they both left.

They walked to the Gryffindor Tower in silence but Harry needed to hold Ron for support. His legs were wobbly and everything was spinning. They got to the common room and Harry immediately rushed to the bathroom to throw up.

“Um ... are you okay?” Ron asked when Harry came into the dormitory.

“Fine,” Harry said. “Drank too much. It’s Fred’s fault.”

Ron looked like he wanted to ask something else but decided against it. They both went to sleep.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm sorry about this. Harry is dumb.  
> Also, he still sees the Thestrals because Cedric technically did die.
> 
> Thank you so much for the response so far, appreciate it a lot :)


	11. Revelations

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Harry has to face his new realization but also on top of that all his other worries.  
> At least he's got some great friends.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Lot of dialogue in this one.  
> Enjoy!

Fortunately, the next day was Sunday because Harry slept for a long time. He woke up around noon and everything ached. _Why does everything hurt? Oh, that’s right,_ he thought as the images from last night came to his mind. _Godric, what’s wrong with me?_ he kept asking himself as he thought about everything that happened. _Okay, so let’s face the facts. What were the signs that could tell me that I probably like Cedric? When I saw him for the first time, I thought he was handsome. But then he is, everyone knows that. Was that a sign? Probably. Then he calmed me down every time I stressed during the tournament. But that’s just because he’s so nice. Does that make me like him? Yeah, okay, it does. Then the thing with the egg. That was weird. Let’s not get into that. Then after the second task, I practically fell asleep on him in the kitchens and we held hands. But that was because I was so tired. Or did I want to secretly hold his hand? Hm ... I don’t know. Then the article came out and I avoided him. Was it because I wanted it to be true? Then the third task,_ Harry shivered as the images of the maze and the graveyard came back to his head. _Don’t think about that. But I did climb into his bed that night. Only because I was so scared he wasn’t there. It felt nice, though. Okay, summer. His letters kept me sane. My birthday. The best gift was that he came for me. And I got so used to being around him in Grimmauld Place it feels weird not to be now. Ugh ... this is so hard!_

Harry decided to stop his inner monologue there and got up. After he changed from the clothes he wore last night (because apparently, he didn’t even think of changing them before he went to bed) he climbed downstairs to the common room. Ron and Hermione were sitting together in the corner with homework scattered around them but they didn’t seem to be doing it. They were talking in hushed voices and as soon as they noticed Harry, they stopped.

“Harry!” Hermione smiled. “How are you feeling? You should eat something. Here, I brought you a muffin from breakfast.”

“Er ... thanks,” Harry mumbled as he sat down with them. “Not really hungry, though. Everything hurts.”

“Mate, what did you do? I haven’t seen you the whole night and then you couldn’t even walk properly,” Ron chuckled.

“Fred kept giving me drinks. I don’t know what it was but I never want to see it again,” Harry sighed.

There was a small pause and Hermione and Ron exchanged looks.

“And are you okay?” Hermione asked.

“Er ...” Harry didn’t know what to say. “I think ... I mean there is a small possibility ... thatIhaveacrushonCedric,” he rambled.

“Sorry, what?” Ron asked.

“I,” Harry sighed. “I have a crush on Cedric,” he whispered and looked around if anyone was listening.

“Yeah, we know,” Hermione nodded.

“What? You know? How?” Harry shrieked.

“I mean, it’s kind of obvious, mate,” Ron chuckled.

“Well, why didn’t you tell me? I didn’t know it.”

“We thought it would be better for you to realise it on your own,” Hermione said.

“Wait, you discussed it?” asked Harry and they just shrugged guiltily. “So do you think he knows?” dread suddenly filled him.

“No, I don’t think so,” Hermione assured him. “Why would he kiss Cho if he knew?”

“Um, I don’t know, maybe because he doesn’t like me back? Or that he and Cho are dating?”

“Well, he said they broke up over the summer,” said Ron. “So maybe it was just a birthday thing or something.”

“You should ask him about it,” Hermione suggested.

“Oh, I can see that going well,” Harry smirked. “Hey, Cedric, why were you snogging Cho last night? Is it because you’re still dating? Why do I want to know? Oh, funny you ask, it’s because I want to kill myself now.”

“Stop freaking out, Harry,” Hermione frowned. “It’s not the end of the world.”

“Well ... it’s just ... it’s just too much, okay?” Harry said, frustrated. “I wasn’t even aware I was feeling something. I was focusing on all these other things. But then Fred just told me how I’m feeling and now I’m feeling it and I feel so stupid. And I said feel too many times,” he put his head in his hands.

“This is why we didn’t want to tell you,” Hermione said. “You should’ve figured it out on your own, slowly.”

“But with Harry’s obliviousness he might have never figured it out, Hermione,” Ron pointed out.

“What do I do now?” Harry sighed. “How do I get rid of it?”

“What do you mean rid of it?” said Hermione. “Shouldn’t you talk to Cedric about it?”

“No!” Harry said, horrified. “I need to get rid of it, quickly. There’s no way he likes me back anyway and I can’t lose what we have because of some stupid crush.”

“Well I don’t think you can get rid of it exactly,” Hermione chided. “It could go away on its own after some time.”

“I don’t think that’s going to work, you’ve been pining over him for a year now,” Ron debated.

“I haven’t been pining over him,” Harry retorted.

“The point is,” Hermione said, “you’re going to have to tell him so you know where you’re at. If he likes you back then great. If not, then you at least know and can start getting over it.”

“Hermione,” Harry sighed. “If I tell him, he’s going to say no and then it’s going to be too awkward and I’ll lose him forever.”

“Don’t be stupid, Cedric wouldn’t abandon you for this,” Hermione rolled her eyes.

“I’d rather not risk it,” said Harry. “Let’s just forget about it. I’ll ignore it and focus on other things and everything is going to stay the same. That sounds good.”

“That’s stupid,” Hermione snapped. “But do as you like.”

“So,” Ron started. “Er ... do you like other guys too?”

“I don’t know, Ron.”

“Do you like girls?” he asked.

“I don’t know,” Harry answered. “I haven’t focused on this too much. In case you haven’t noticed, I was busy with other things up to this point.”

“Alright, alright,” Ron said. “Sorry.”

They continued with their homework after that as they had a lot of it. Harry tried to ignore the pain he was feeling all over his body and focused on his essays but it was difficult. He managed to eat something later during that day but only because Hermione wouldn’t stop nagging him about it. And he has forbidden himself from thinking about Cedric. They were all so busy with the amount of work they had that they were the last ones to stay in the common room in the evening. They were sitting by the fire when Harry noticed something strange. He caught a glimpse of Sirius’ head in the fireplace. It was indeed Sirius, who was apparently trying to contact him every hour now. Hermione scolded him for taking such a risk but Sirius only rolled his eyes.

“Anyway, your scar,” Sirius said. “Well, I know that it can’t be fun when it hurts, but we don’t think it’s anything to really worry about. It kept aching all last year, didn’t it?”

“Yeah, and Dumbledore said it happened whenever Voldemort was feeling a powerful emotion,” said Harry. “So maybe he was just, I dunno, really angry or something the night I had that detention.”

“Well, now he’s back it’s bound to hurt more often,” said Sirius.

They talked about Umbridge after that and to Harry’s disgust, Sirius revealed that she drafted a bit of anti-werewolf legislation two years ago, which made it almost impossible for Remus to get a job. Harry then explained what her lessons were like and Sirius said that it made sense because Fudge didn’t want them to be trained in combat.

“What does he think we’re doing here, forming some sort of wizard army?”

“That’s exactly what he thinks you’re doing,” said Sirius, “or, rather, that’s exactly what he’s afraid Dumbledore’s doing – forming his own private army, with which he will be able to take on the Ministry of Magic.”

They talked about Hagrid as well and Sirius said that no one knew where he was; apparently, he was supposed to be back already. But Sirius assured them not to be worried as Dumbledore himself wasn’t.

“Are you feeling okay, Harry?” Sirius asked then. “You look awful.”

“Hm?” Harry blinked and yawned. “Yeah, just didn’t sleep well.”

“Did you have more nightmares?” asked Sirius and Ron started snickering in the background.

“What? No ... just ... er,” Harry blabbered nervously.

“He got drunk last night,” Ron exclaimed as he couldn’t hold it any longer.

“Ronald!” Hermione hissed.

“What? How?” Sirius chuckled.

“It was Cedric’s birthday,” Harry admitted.

“And here I thought he was the responsible one,” Sirius laughed. “Turns out it’s just Hermione then. Well, you take after your father I guess.”

“Wait, you’re not angry?” Harry asked, surprised.

“No, Harry,” Sirius kept laughing. “Just be careful next time, okay.”

“There’s not going to be next time, trust me,” Harry declared.

“When’s your next Hogsmeade weekend anyway?” Sirius pondered. “I was thinking, we got away with the dog disguise at the station, didn’t we? I thought I could –“

“NO!” said Harry and Hermione together, very loudly.

“I just don’t think it’s a good idea,” Harry said.

“All right, all right,” said Sirius. “Just an idea, thought you might like to get together.”

“I would, I just don’t want you chucked back in Azkaban!” said Harry.

There was a pause in which Sirius looked out of the fire at Harry, a crease between his sunken eyes.

“You’re less like your father than I thought,” he said finally. “The risk would’ve been what made it fun for James.”

“Look –“

“Well, I’d better get going, I’ll write to tell you a time I can make it back into the fire, then, shall I? If you can stand to risk it?”

After that Sirius was gone. Harry sighed and felt terribly guilty.

“That’s not very fair, is it?” Hermione said. “He’s projecting your dad onto you too much.”

“Let it go, Hermione,” Harry said.

“I’m sure Lupin wouldn’t let him go to Hogsmeade anyway,” she added.

“He’s just ... I understand how he feels,” Harry mumbled. “I just wish I could do something about it.”

“Well you can’t,” Ron said. “No point in beating yourself about it, mate.”

They finished their homework promptly after that and went to sleep. Harry was so excited for bed that he fell asleep almost immediately. The next morning at breakfast, Hermione read them the _Daily Prophet_ aloud where it said that Dolores Umbridge became the High Inquisitor for Hogwarts. That meant nothing good. Harry, to his surprise, also received a letter from Remus.

_Dear Harry_

_Padfoot told me about your talk. I’m really sorry on the behalf of your stupid godfather that he was being so moody. Don’t worry, if you didn’t tell him not to go, I almost definitely would. I’m glad you have some common sense, you got that from your mother. Padfoot needs to realise that you’re not your father, nor you are your mother. You are you, and that’s the best version of yourself there can be. I’ve talked to him and he stopped sulking now, he will contact you soon. He’s just having a hard time overall but that’s no excuse to take it out on you._

_He also told me about Cedric’s birthday party. Now I know the old dog is a bit lenient when it comes to this because ... oh well ... let’s say he was no different in your age. Actually, he was much worse when it came to parties and alcohol. But don’t think you’re off the hook for this. You should definitely not be getting drunk in school when you’re only fifteen years old. I expected Cedric to be more responsible in that sense. I’m not saying that I’m angry but you should be more careful. I hope this won’t happen again. You have enough time for that no matter what stories Padfoot tells you about him and your dad._

_Now, the last thing I wanted to tell you, please be careful around Dolores Umbridge. Don’t try to rebel, it’s not worth it. Keep your head down. The people that matter know the truth and that’s enough for now._

_Take care,_

_Remus._

Harry let Ron and Hermione read the letter too. He still felt guilty about Sirius but was glad that Remus told him all these things.

“They should really decide on their parenting technique,” Hermione said as she finished the letter.

“Yeah, how come you’re off the hook with one and not with the other one,” Ron chuckled.

Harry just shrugged and looked over the Hufflepuff table. Cedric was there with his friends. No sight of Cho, however, and Harry hated that he was relieved at that. Cedric looked over him, smiled and Harry’s heart started beating fast. _Oh my God, I’m so pathetic,_ he thought. He only waved back at Cedric and they soon left the Great Hall to get to classes.

“You should talk to him,” Hermione urged him on their way to History of Magic but Harry ignored it.

When they came back for lunch after Potions, Harry didn’t feel that confident about his upcoming O.W.L.s, mainly because of Snape. Fred and George sat with them as they talked about their marks. Harry didn’t say much and focused on his lunch. When he looked up, Frend winked at him, as if there was a secret between them now. Harry felt himself going red. After lunch, they went to Divination class that was being inspected by Umbridge. It didn’t go really well, in Harry’s opinion. After that, it was DADA lesson, so they had to see the toad-face witch again. Harry promised himself that he was not going to get detention again. His plan failed miserably though. Hermione asked Umbridge some questions again and that earned Gryffindor to lose five points. Professor Umbridge then said that the only good DADA teacher they had before her, was Professor Quirrell and Harry couldn’t help himself.

“Yeah, Quirrell was a great teacher,” he said loudly, “there was just that minor drawback of him having Lord Voldemort sticking out of the back of his head.”

There was silence after that and Umbridge looked at him pointedly.

“I think another week’s detentions would do you some good, Mr Potter,” she said and that was that.

 _I’m such an idiot,_ Harry thought as they walked from the class. Neither Ron nor Hermione said anything about it. His hand was almost healed but after the detention that evening it was bleeding again. Next morning, Angelina started shouting at Harry in the Great Hall about getting more detention, which only earned them to lose another five points from Professor McGonagall. Harry looked over to the Hufflepuff table and Cedric looked back at him, concerned. _Now he’s worried too, great, well done, Harry, you’re really peaking this year,_ he thought. They haven’t had a chance to talk as they both were always busy with classes and exams. Harry was worried about O.W.L.s (among other things) and Cedric had N.E.W.T.s this year. Although Harry missed Cedric, he was kind of glad he had an excuse. With his recent realization, it wasn’t easy being near Cedric. Also, he didn’t want to listen to Cedric’s reason and worry. He had enough of that from Hermione already. With that, they set off to Transfiguration, which was being inspected too. Professor McGonagall was in no mood for Umbridge to interrupt her and it was a treat to watch.

Harry’s detention ended around midnight again and when he came back to the common room, Ron and Hermione were waiting for him. Hermione tried to heal his hand a bit, even though Harry was annoyed that Ron had told her about it in the first place.

“We ran into Cedric today,” she said. “When you were in detention. He asked about you.”

“Er ... you didn’t tell him about this did you?” stammered Harry.

“No,” Hermione answered pointedly. “But I think you should.”

“Hm,” grunted Harry.

“She’s an awful woman,” said Hermione, “we’ve got to do something about her.”

“I suggested poison,” said Ron grimly.

“No ... I mean, something about what a dreadful teacher she is, and how we’re not going to learn any Defence from her at all,” said Hermione.

“Well, what can we do about that?” said Ron, yawning. “S too late, isn’t it? She’s got the job, she’s here to stay. Fudge’ll make sure of that.”

“Well,” said Hermione tentatively. “You know, I was thinking today ... I was thinking that – maybe the time’s come when we should just – just do it ourselves.

They both stared at her and Hermione tried to explain.

“We need a teacher, a proper one, who can show us how to use the spells and correct us if we’re going wrong.”

“If you’re talking about Lupin ...” Harry began.

“No, no, I’m not talking about Lupin,” said Hermione. “He’s too busy with the Order and, anyway, the most we could see him is during Hogsmeade weekends and that’s not nearly often enough.”

“Who, then?” said Harry, frowning at her.

“Isn’t it obvious?” she said. “I’m talking about you, Harry.”

Harry blinked at her. No, he couldn’t be a teacher. What did he know? And there was no way people would listen to him anyway. But Ron was now convinced too so they both were saying about all the things Harry has faced up to this point.

“I was just lucky most of the times,” Harry said darkly. “And if I didn’t have help from you or Dumbledore, I wouldn’t be able to do anything.”

Ron and Hermione only looked at each other and smiled.

“Don’t sit there grinning like you know better than I do, I was there, wasn’t I?” Harry said heatedly but Ron and Hermione were laughing now, which made Harry angry. “STOP LAUGHING!” he was suddenly on his feet and it was quiet.

“You don’t know what it’s like! You – neither of you – you’ve never had to face him, have you? You think it’s just memorising a bunch of spells and throwing them at him like you’re in class or something? The whole time you know there’s nothing between you and dying except your own – your own brain or guts or whatever – like you can think straight when you know you’re about a nanosecond from being murdered, or watching your friends die,” he felt tears running down his cheeks now and he was shivering again.

“Harry,” Hermione said timidly and helped him sit down. “This ... this is exactly why we need you ... we need to know what it’s r-really like ... facing him ... facing V-Voldemort.”

“I’m ... I’m sorry,” Harry said. “I just don’t think I’ll be able to do it.”

“Think about it, okay,” Hermione said. “And you don’t need to do it alone. We all can learn from each other too.”

“Okay, I’ll think about it.”

They went to sleep after that. Harry felt weird again. Like he was standing on the edge of something and was about to jump and fall down. He couldn’t fall asleep. Cedric’s bracelet calmed him down a bit once more. This time he could sense Cedric again, plus the smell of cigarettes for some reason.

The rest of the week was very busy, with classes, homework and his detention. By the end of the week, the detention was finally over too. The words on his hand were so clear now that Harry doubted they would ever disappear. He didn’t have a chance to talk to Cedric, the Hufflepuff boy looked very busy himself whenever Harry caught a glimpse of him in the Great Hall. Finally, on Saturday, when Harry was in the library doing his homework, Cedric came in to join him.

“Can I sit with you?” he smiled.

“Er ... sure ... of course,” Harry stammered. _Calm down, you idiot._

“Where are Ron and Hermione?” asked Cedric as he sat down next to Harry and started opening his own textbooks.

“Ron is having a lie-in and Hermione is probably doing something for S.P.E.W.,” Harry said. “But I think they’ll join me soon. So, did you enjoy your birthday?”

“Yeah, it was good,” Cedric smiled. “Thank you for your gift. I’m sorry I didn’t talk to you much there, too many people. And you kind of disappeared.”

“Uh ... yeah. I left around midnight with Ron ... I wanted to say goodbye but I couldn’t find you,” he lied.

“Ryan said that you went pretty rough on the alcohol,” Cedric chuckled. “Were you feeling okay?”

“Well not afterwards,” Harry stammered. “But part of growing up, I guess. Don’t worry, Remus already told me off for it. Sirius, on the other hand, was proud of me.”

“That doesn’t surprise me,” Cedric chuckled. “I was pretty drunk myself but that’s to be expected when both Ryan and Cho kept pouring me drinks.”

“It was Fred for me,” Harry admitted.

“Of course it would be one of them,” Cedric laughed. “So how are you getting on otherwise?

“I’ve had a lot of homework to do,” said Harry. “Everyone keeps scaring us with O.W.L.s and I got myself detention this week too so Angelina is really angry with me too. So you know, I’m the usual mess,” he chuckled.

“Yes, I noticed. Also, Hermione told me about what Sirius told you. I hope you’re not too upset about it.”

“No,” Harry said nervously. “It’s okay. Remus sent me a letter the next day. Sirius is just having a hard time and I can understand that.”

“And how was your detention?”

“Er ... okay,” Harry lied. “I just had to write some lines again.”

“She’s a terrible woman,” Cedric said. “In our class, she recommended that I should permanently stay at St.Mungo’s for having disillusions.”

“She didn’t!” Harry said angrily.

“It’s okay, calm down,” Cedric chuckled and squeezed Harry’s shoulder. Then he looked at Harry’s hand. _Oh shit,_ Harry thought and tried to hide his hand quickly. Cedric, however, already took his hand in his own to look at it closely, frowning.

“What ... what is this?” he asked, alarmed. “Is this what you meant by writing lines?”

“It’s ... it’s okay,” Harry grunted and managed to wiggle his hand away from Cedric as if the touch burned him.

“No, it’s not,” Cedric said and Harry never saw him this angry. “Did you tell anyone?”

“Ron and Hermione know.”

“And? Did you tell Dumbledore?”

“No. What’s he going to do?” Harry snapped. “Not like he gave me any attention since the graveyard.”

“Harry, you have to tell someone!”

“No, I don’t! It’s my decision! You don’t get to tell me what to do!” Harry argued. “Besides, the detention’s over now. I’ll be more careful now.”

“That’s not the point,” Cedric said angrily. “You were hurt and you didn’t tell anyone. It’s ... that’s ...”

“What? I’m alright.”

Cedric sighed and continued more calmly. “It kills me to know that you’d rather let yourself suffer than let people help you.”

“How are you going to help me? I told you, telling Dumbledore is not an option,” Harry said, quietly now.

“I ... I don’t know. But isn’t it better to face it with someone else?”

“Do you think you’re going to hug me and the pain is going to go away?” Harry challenged.

“I ... no ... I’d just like to know when you’re hurting, that’s all,” Cedric replied quietly. “Did you go see Madam Pomfrey yet?”

“No,” Harry grunted. “I was afraid she was going to notice.”

“You think you deserve this don’t you?” Cedric looked at him.

“What?”

“Secretly, you think you deserve to be punished. Not for saying the truth but for everything else.”

“That’s ... that’s not true.”

“Harry,” Cedric said. “I can sense your emotions, remember?”

“Well, stop it then! I didn’t say you could sense them,” Harry retorted. “Look, I need to do my homework,” he sighed and returned to his work.

“Harry, I just –,“ Cedric said but was interrupted by Ron and Hermione who just joined them.

“Hey, Cedric,” Hermione smiled as she sat down opposite of them.

“Everything alright?” Ron asked and looked at both Harry and Cedric.

“Fine,” Harry said.

“Oh, I see,” Ron said quietly and looked at Cedric apologetically.

They all worked quietly on their homework. Harry suddenly felt Cedric taking his hand under the table and interlacing their fingers, drawing small calming circles. Harry looked up at him but Cedric’s attention never left the book he was reading. _Why do you have to be so nice all the time,_ Harry asked himself.

Hermione then decided to tell Cedric about her idea to start DADA lessons with Harry.

“I think that’s a brilliant idea,” Cedric said.

“I said I will think about it, Hermione,” Harry reminded.

“I know, I just wanted you to see that we’re not the only ones that think you’d be a great teacher,” she said.

“I think you should do it,” Cedric smiled.

“I’ll think about it,” Harry said and that was the end of it.

When Harry finished his essays, Cedric offered to look through it for him and Harry let him. Cedric wrote him some notes in his essays to look over later, which actually helped Harry a lot.

“Now that I helped you with this,” Cedric said. “Will you go to see Madam Pomfrey?”

“Sneaky,” Harry chuckled. “Alright.”

“Come on, I’ll go with you,” Cedric said and they both packed their things.

“Well, I guess I’ll see you guys later,” Harry said to Ron and Hermione and they both nodded.

They left the library and headed off to the hospital wing. Harry felt the absence of Cedric’s hand in his but tried not to think about it. _Come on, get a grip, Harry._

“How is Cho, anyway, I haven’t seen her much lately?” Harry asked finally and tried to sound casual.

“She’s okay,” Cedric said curtly and it sounded strange.

“Something’s up?”

“No ... er ... we just decided to put some space between us.”

“What? Why?”

“It’s not really a big deal ... considering what you’ve been going through.”

“Hey, just because I’m being an idiot doesn’t mean you can’t tell me things,” Harry said. “Unless you don’t want to, of course.”

“Okay,” Cedric chuckled. “Well ... er ... we kissed at the party.”

“I know,” Harry said as casually as he could. “I thought you were back together.”

“We’re not,” Cedric said. “We really broke up over the summer.”

“Then ... I don’t get it.”

“It’s difficult, you know,” Cedric said. “When you care about someone. We’ve been friends for a while before we started dating. And we both love each other. Just not in that way.”

“Okay ... I still don’t understand,” Harry said.

“Well ... we broke up because it was the best thing to do. We both realised we’re not good for each other and we were better off as friends. But things just don’t go away like that ... just because you decide it, you know.”

“Yeah,” Harry agreed, feeling himself getting red again.

“So we stayed friends and it was okay. But we both got drunk at that party ... and you know ... it just happened. She felt guilty about it ... I did too. So we had a big talk and decided to give each other some space before we can be friends again.”

“Okay, that makes sense I guess,” said Harry.

“Yeah. Sometimes I think that it would be easier if we just were together, you know. But it just doesn’t feel right,” Cedric said. “Not many things feel right lately anyway,” he mumbled.

Harry then decided to be brave and took Cedric’s hand and squeezed it. Cedric smiled at him and there was something strange in his eyes. Before Harry could ask him anything, however, they were already in front of the hospital wing. They came inside and Madam Pomfrey noticed them almost immediately.

“Cedric,” she smiled. “I didn’t think I would see you here so soon.”

“Oh, I’m only bringing Harry, to make sure he goes this time,” Cedric said.

“Yes, Minerva said that you ought to be coming,” she said. “So why don’t you take a seat over there, dear?”

Harry nodded and looked at Cedric. “I’ll see you later, okay?” Cedric smiled.

“Okay,” Harry agreed and went to sit down.

Madam Pomfrey sat on a chair facing Harry. She was smiling at him kindly, which reassured Harry a little bit. He was careful, however, not to show her his hand.

“So, why don’t you just tell me about your summer then?” she asked.

So Harry told her everything that happened since he left Hogwarts on the last day of June. He told her about the uneventful period at Privet Drive, how frustrated he felt all the time, his recurring nightmare, Cedric visiting him, and then the Dementors. When he started telling her about Grimmauld Place, he hesitated. Madam Pomfrey then assured him that she knew about the Order and that he doesn’t need to be afraid to tell her. She knew about Sirius too, after all. So Harry resumed his story, telling her about how it felt to be with Sirius and Remus and how he felt angry all the time. How he shouted at his friends until he was himself shaking and crying. He told her about his hearing and how happy he was that he was going to come back here. Then he said that being back here wasn’t as good as he thought it was going to be. He was still angry and frustrated, all the time. He just didn’t feel like himself most of the time. After he finished, Madam Pomfrey looked troubled but she smiled at him.

“It’s okay, dear,” she said. “I think you’re having some anger issues and anxiety issues. It all mixes together and doesn’t create anything good. Plus, that terrible scar hurting adding to it doesn’t really help.”

“Yeah,” Harry mumbled.

“Okay, what we’re going to do for the moment is this. You’re going to keep coming to see me, at least once in two weeks, okay? You can come more often if you need to but I know you’re not too keen on the hospital wing,” she smiled. “Whenever you feel frustrated or angry, you need to sit down, take deep breaths and try counting to calm down. Different things work for different people but let’s just try this now. And if it doesn’t get better, I’ll give you some calming potions to take,” she continued. “Also, if your nightmares get worse, don’t be afraid to come here for a sleeping potion, okay?”

“Okay,” Harry nodded.

Harry left the hospital wing feeling surprisingly alright. Madam Pomfrey didn’t try to dismiss what he was feeling and he felt understood a bit. It was time for dinner at that point so he walked to the Great Hall. Ron and Hermione were sitting by the Gryffindor table already. Cedric was there with them too. Harry sat down next to him and Cedric immediately shoved a plate full of food to Harry.

“So? How did it go?” he asked.

“It was ... good,” Harry said. “She was actually nice.”

“I told you,” Cedric smirked.

Harry then told them what Madam Pomfrey advised him to do whenever he had an “episode” again.

“That’s good to know, mate,” Ron said. “At least we can try to help you too.”

“Yeah, but if I’m really mean to you, just shove one of those calming potions down my throat,” Harry chuckled.

The rest of September went by very quickly. They were all constantly busy with schoolwork. Although Cedric was busy too and had his own friends and Quidditch practice, he sometimes found them in the library and did his homework with them. Ron seemed a bit jealous that Cedric was helping Harry with his homework and Hermione pitifully decided to help Ron with his so he would stop moaning. Ron quietly high fived Harry when neither Hermione nor Cedric was looking. Harry didn’t hear anything about Hermione’s idea for him to teach them until the end of September. Harry said he would be okay to do it if it was just Ron and Hermione but Hermione then brought the idea of teaching more people to the table. That filled Harry with anxiety.

“I doubt anyone except you two would want to be taught by me. I’m a nutter, remember?” he said.

“Well, I think you might be surprised how many people would be interested in hearing what you’ve got to say,” said Hermione. “Look, you know the first weekend in October’s a Hogsmeade weekend? How would it be if we tell anyone who’s interested to meet us in the village and we can talk it over?”

Harry agreed to that, reluctantly. Harry was afraid that Sirius might show up in Hogsmeade because he still hasn’t heard anything from him but he hoped that he was not stupid enough to do that. They set off to Hod’s Head when they got to Hogsmeade that weekend, with Cedric joining them. It turned out that Hermione managed to get together quite a few people. There was Neville, Dean and Lavender, then the Patil twins, Cho with one of her friends from Ravenclaw, Luna, Katie Bell, Alicia Spinnet and Angelina Johnson, Colin and Dennis Creevey, Ernie Macmillan, Justin Finch-Fletchley, Hannah Abbott, Anthony Goldstein, Michael Corner, Terry Boot, of course, Ginny and the Weasley twins followed by Lee Jordan and then Cedric’s friend Ryan. They all terrified Harry to a great degree. He was prepared to talk maybe to five people but this was too much. They all got their butterbeers and sat down. Harry felt his throat closing but then Cedric reassuringly squeezed his shoulder and he felt a bit better.

It was a bit awkward at first, they didn’t know how to start. Hermione tried to explain to everyone that they all wanted to learn and practice not only for their exams but also for what’s out there. Then they started asking about Voldemort and Harry should have seen it coming. So Harry tried to say his truth once more.

“Maybe Diggory can tell us what happened to him too?” Zacharias said.

“Er ...,” Cedric cleared his throat. “Harry just told you. We were transported to the graveyard. I was hit by the killing curse.”

“Then how come you’re not dead?” Zacharias asked.

“It wasn’t V-Voldemort who cast the curse. It was his servant on his behalf. But that meant it was not strong enough in the first place. Harry also pushed me away so it didn’t hit me completely,” Cedric said nervously.

“So what happened next?” Zacharias asked again.

“I kind of died. If Harry didn’t bring me back I would have died.”

“That doesn’t make sense. How could you die and still be alive?”

“Look, neither I nor Cedric want to really talk about what happened there, all right? So if that’s what you’re here for, you might as well clear out,” Harry said angrily.

No one left, however. Then someone asked if Harry could really cast a Patronus and Harry nodded. Everyone looked impressed at that. Then they asked about the Basilisk in Harry’s second year. Then Neville mentioned the Philosopher’s Stone and Harry felt he was going red again. He wanted to leave immediately but he couldn’t

“And not to mention,” Cedric said, “how well Harry handled the tasks in the Tournament last year.”

“Er ...,” Harry felt uncomfortable. “I’ve had a lot of help, okay. I’m not trying to be modest. I’ve had help from Ron and Hermione every time something happened. From Dumbledore too. Lupin taught me the Patronus spell so it’s only thanks to him, you all know he was a great teacher. And with the tasks last year, I had help too.”

“Are you trying to weasel out of showing us any of this stuff?” said Zacharias Smith.

“Here’s an idea,” said Ron loudly, “why don’t you shut your mouth?”

“Well, we’ve all turned up to learn from him and now he’s telling us he can’t really do any of it,” Zacharias said.

“That’s not what he said,” snarled Fred.

“Would you like us clean out your ears for you?” inquired George.

They decided then to meet once a week at least but they had to find a time suitable for everyone. And also they needed to find a space because they couldn’t gather just anywhere for everyone to see. They all signed a list with their names and sworn to secrecy. It was exciting in away. After everyone left they decided to have a look in some shops in Hogsmeade before heading back to the castle. Ron and Hermione suspiciously wandered off at some point so Harry was left with Cedric in a sweet shop.

“It went well,” Cedric said. “Don’t you think?”

“I suppose,” Harry shrugged and focused on which chocolate to choose. “I just didn’t expect so many people.”

“Yeah, me neither, but that’s a good sign. Means that not everyone is against you,” he nudged Harry a bit and Harry blushed.

“Thanks,” said Harry. “For helping me there. I’m not a motivational speaker I’m afraid.”

“Well, everything comes with time,” Cedric smirked.

They bought some sweets and left the shop. There was no sign of Ron and Hermione but Harry saw the twins with Lee Jordan talking on the street.

“Have you seen Ron and Hermione?” Harry asked.

“Yeah, they already went back,” said George.

“What? They didn’t say anything,” Harry said.

“I suppose they didn’t want to disturb you,” said Fred and winked at Harry.

“Should we head back too then?” asked Cedric and Harry nodded.

“It’s nice that Cho came too,” Harry said as they walked back to the castle.

“Yeah ... I told her about it actually,” Cedric said.

“Oh ... wasn’t it weird for you?”

“No, we’re okay. We’re trying to keep it casual, you know,” Cedric smiled.

“Yeah,” Harry said. _No, I don’t know,_ he thought to himself.

It was time for dinner already when they got back. Cedric ruffled Harry’s hair as he left him to join his friends at the Hufflepuff table. Harry saw Ron and Hermione already sitting by the Gryffindor table so he went to join them.

“Thanks for telling me you left, guys,” he said as he sat down.

“Sorry, Harry, we just thought it would be nice to give you some time with Cedric,” Hermione smiled.

“Yeah, how is that going?” Ron asked.

“It’s not going,” said Harry. “We’re just friends and that’s it. Nothing is going to change about that.”

“So you’re over him?” asked Ron.

“I mean...,” Harry rambled as he looked at Cedric sitting at the Hufflepuff table. His heart started beating fast again and he felt himself smile like an idiot.

“So no,” Ron chuckled.

“Let him be, Ronald,” Hermione said. “If he thinks that he’s in some sort of teen melodrama, let him think that.”

“I don’t think that,” Harry laughed.

“Well you obviously enjoy torturing yourself,” Hermione retorted.

“She’s not wrong there, mate,” Ron grinned.

“I just ... I’ll be over it soon.”

“Sure,” Hermione said. “Maybe you should talk to Sirius or Remus. After all, they might be a bit more helpful than us in that department.”

“I told you, I don’t need their help because nothing is going to happen, I’ll be over it pretty soon,” said Harry.

But when they left the Great Hall that evening, and Harry looked over to Cedric who waved at him and smiled at him, Harry felt a pang in his chest and knew that he was probably not going to be over it anytime soon.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for reading and the lovely responses so far! :)
> 
> I hope you enjoyed!


	12. Troublemaker

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Harry is having nice time overall. Cedric is stressing about his NEWTs. It's getting close to Christmas and everything is looking good. Not for long, though.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> There's a small scene with Sirius and Remus in this one because I love them, so I hope you guys don't mind.
> 
> Thank you and enjoy!

The initial excitement they had from their Hogsmeade meeting faded on Monday when they found out that Umbridge was dismissing all students’ clubs and organizations. Harry was sure that this was no coincidence. Umbridge knew, somehow. But Hermione assured them that no one from the group would tell her because she put a jinx on the signature paper. Sometimes, Hermione really terrified Harry. They decided to do their study group anyway. What was troubling too, however, was that the Gryffindor Quidditch team had to now reform and get a permission slip from Umbridge herself. Harry promised Angelina he was not going to lose his temper with Umbridge today and he prayed that he would fulfil his promise.

Their usually boring lesson of History of Magic was interrupted by Hedwig tapping at the window. Harry managed to let her inside without Professor Binns noticing but then realised that she was injured. He told Professor Binns he was feeling ill and needed to go to the hospital wing to get out of the class. He took Hedwig to Professor Grubbly-Plank since Hagrid has still not returned. The note that Hedwig brought him was, of course, from Sirius and it simply said that they would talk today. Harry was worried a bit that it might not be safe because Professor McGonagall warned him that the fireplaces are being watched. But he did want to talk to Sirius and if he said no to him again, Sirius would be really upset this time.

Harry got an extra essay to write for Potions for almost burning his cauldron, which only meant he was going to stay up late again. Divination was very interesting that day. Professor Trelawney seemed to be very upset and it was probably thanks to Umbridge. From the upset babbling of Trelawney, they could gather that she was now put on probation. Despite all of this, Harry really kept his temper and managed to survive DADA without another incident. That didn’t help their Quidditch team, however. Angelina informed them later that Umbridge said she needed time to consider if she’d grant them the permission slip.

“Alright?” asked Cedric as he caught up with them after dinner.

“Yeah,” shrugged Harry. “Just Umbridge doesn’t want to let us play Quidditch.”

“Oh yeah, I’ve heard,” Cedric smiled apologetically. “I’m sure it’ll be alright in the end. She can’t just forbid one house from playing.”

“So Hufflepuff can play?” Ron asked.

“Yeah, I went to ask today. But it wasn’t easy. She doesn’t like me much either and I’m the captain so it had to be me who asked. She asked me all sorts of questions about my wellbeing,” Cedric rolled his eyes.

“Did she ask you about Voldemort?” asked Harry.

“No. She was just trying to prove I’m completely mental but didn’t mention anything about the Tournament. It was weird. But in the end, she gave us permission.”

“Hm, that’s good,” said Harry. “So Ravenclaw got theirs too?”

“Yeah, Cho tells me they got theirs.”

“So it’s just us,” Harry sighed. “It’s all my fault. I bet she would give it to us if I wasn’t on the team.”

“You don’t know that, mate,” Ron said. “Don’t think about it too much.”

“Yes, Harry,” Hermione smiled. “Besides, now you have more time for homework, which I hate to remind you but you’re behind again.”

“I know,” Harry snarled.

“Do you need help?” Cedric asked. “I’m heading to the library now to do mine, you could join me.”

“Er ... it’s okay, thanks,” Harry said and Cedric looked disappointed. “It’s just, Padfoot promised to get in touch tonight. I don’t want to miss him.”

“Oh, okay, well say hi from me,” Cedric smiled. “I’ll see you later then.”

And with that, he was gone. Harry, Ron and Hermione went upstairs to the Gryffindor tower to do their homework there. Harry did want to spend time with Cedric but he had to try and do his homework on his own at least. Plus, what if Sirius decided to talk to him earlier? He didn’t want to let him down.

Later that evening, Sirius’ head appeared in the fire once again. He seemed to be in a good mood and Harry was glad. They told him about their meeting in Hog’s Head and it turned out that Sirius already knew all about it. Apparently, they were overheard by Mundungus.

“What was he doing in the Hog’s Head?” Harry asked.

“What do you think he was doing?” said Sirius impatiently. “Keeping an eye on you, of course.”

“I’m still being followed?” asked Harry angrily.

“Yeah, you are,” said Sirius, “and just as well, isn’t it, if the first thing you’re going to do on your weekend off is organise an illegal defence group.”

But Sirius wasn’t angry with Harry. On the contrary, he looked quite proud. He said that, although Mrs Weasley strictly forbids them to do anything of that sorts, he himself thought it’s a brilliant idea.

“Cedric said the same,” Harry said. “He says hi, by the way.”

“Well, when Cedric says it’s great then there’s no reason for you to not do it,” Sirius winked.

“We only need a place now,” Hermione said.

“Well, I’ll have a think and come back to you on that,” Sirius promised. “Other than that, everything okay?”

“Yeah, just loads of homework,” Harry shrugged. “How are you?”

“Same old,” Sirius said. “Not much to do here, just me and Kreacher most of the time, which is not the best company.”

“What about Remus?”

“He’s away a lot. But he manages to come back to me often, much to Dumbledore’s displeasure,” he chuckled. “Which surprises me because I’m such a moody git, I wouldn’t even come back to me.”

“But it’s not your fault,” Harry said.

“Yeah. But Moony’s a saint,” Sirius smiled.

“I went to see Madam Pomfrey about my mood swings,” Harry said quietly. “She told me what to do if it got worse and gave me some potions.”

“Well ... that’s good,” Sirius said. “As long as you feel better.”

“Yeah, thanks,” Harry smiled.

“So, how’s Ced –“

He broke off. His face was suddenly tense, alarmed. He turned sideways, apparently looking into the solid brick wall of the fireplace.

“Sirius?” said Harry anxiously.

But he had vanished. A hand appeared amongst the flames, trying to catch hold of something. It was Umbridge, no doubt. They all ran to the dormitory immediately. Harry was terrified for Sirius.

“Do you think, he’s okay?” Harry asked Ron as they were getting ready for bed.

“Yeah, mate, seemed to disappear in the right time,” Ron smiled and Harry felt a bit relieved but the shock was still there.

...

Sirius left the fire abruptly and knocked into a chair that was behind him. It was at that moment when Remus, who was gone for several days, returned from one of his missions.

“What are you doing?” Remus asked as he heard the noise.

He came inside the living room and saw Sirius sitting on the floor.

“I was just ... er ... you’re home!” Sirius got up quickly.

“Were you talking to Harry again?”

“Um ... yes,” Sirius admitted.

“Sirius! I told you not to do that anymore, it’s dangerous!” Remus said angrily.

“Well, what am I supposed to do? It’s not safe to send owls either,” Sirius snapped. “And I ended it at the right time!”

“What do you mean at the right time? What happened?”

“I think someone was trying to get through,” Sirius said, guilty. “But it’s okay, Moony, nothing happened.”

“Nothing happened? Someone could have found out where you are!”

“But they didn’t!”

Remus ran his hands through his hair and sighed loudly. Sirius looked at him properly. The man looked tired. Very tired.

“You look like shit,” Sirius smirked.

“Oh, sorry, am I offending the noble and most ancient house of Black?” Remus snapped back and Sirius just started laughing. “Oh, shut up, you idiot,” Remus said but there was a smile to it.

“Aw, Moony, I’m sorry,” said Sirius and hugged Remus tightly. “Would you like some dinner?”

Remus just smiled and kissed him. They went to the kitchen to have some dinner. Sirius was happy that Remus was back but every time he returned he looked more troubled than ever. Sirius felt guilty. It was always him and James who wanted to do the heroic stuff but Remus was too smart for his own good. He often talked to Sirius, during the first war, about going away, leaving all the wizarding stuff behind, that it was not worth it anymore. It wasn’t worth it in the end. But now, Remus was stuck in the war while Sirius had to be cooped away and just wait for him to come back.

“Harry alright?” Remus asked as they ate dinner.

“Seems to be avoiding trouble so far,” replied Sirius.

“By avoiding trouble you mean forming an illegal defence club?” Remus smirked.

“You know we would have done the same. Hell, if someone was not giving _you_ proper education during O.W.L.s you would form a club probably the second day at school,” Sirius laughed.

“Fair point,” said Remus. “I just hope he’s careful.”

“He is,” Sirius assured him. “He’s got Ron, and Hermione, and Cedric.”

“Yeah,” Remus smiled.

“How was the mission?” asked Sirius after a while.

“No one died so I guess not bad,” Remus huffed.

“But how was it for you?”

“You know I hate it, Pads,” said Remus. “Going out there, trying to be Dumbledore’s pet werewolf. It’s not going to help anyway.”

“It might.”

“Always optimistic,” smiled Remus. “I just hate all this nonsense. Sometimes I wish I didn’t go to Hogwarts in the first place and just lived as a muggle.”

“You don’t,” Sirius said, hurt.

“No, I don’t, because I wouldn’t have met you,” Remus said and took Sirius’ hand. “But it would be nice to live as an oblivious muggle, wouldn’t it? No worries that way.”

“You would be in more danger.”

“But I wouldn’t know about it. Ignorance is bliss, as they say. But of course, I could never fully leave the wizarding world, you know, with my ...”

“Furry little problem?” Sirius smirked.

“Yeah,” said Remus, sadly.

“Well, it is what it is, Moony. I wish I could help you out there but I can’t.”

“Hm,” Remus mumbled. “The fact that I know you’re here, safe and waiting for me, helps a lot.”

“Ah, I always wanted to be a housewife,” Sirius chuckled.

They finished dinner and went to bed. Remus was very tired and Sirius could see that his whole body was aching. Sirius cuddled to him like a dog, even though he was in his human form. Remus kissed the top of his head and put his arms around him.

“I love you,” Sirius whispered but Remus was already fast asleep.

...

Hermione told Harry the next day that she was convinced that Umbridge was reading his mail. It made sense, with Hedwig being injured and the hand in the fire. If it was even possible, it made Harry hate Umbridge even more. It was clear that he couldn’t speak to Sirius like this again, but then he couldn’t send him an owl either now. That made Harry quite upset, talking to Sirius and Remus made him feel happy like he belonged to someone.

He was cheered up by Angelina, who came to talk to them during their break. The Gryffindor Quidditch team got the permission to reform so they had a practice that evening. Both Ron and Harry were excited about it. It was raining in the evening so they were both soaked before they even mounted their brooms. The practice had to be cut short in the end due to the terrible rain and wind, which was a disappointment. As Harry was changing, his scar started throbbing with pain. He told Ron when everyone was gone from the changing room.

“He – he can’t be near us now, can he?” Ron asked, scared.

“No,” Harry muttered. “He’s probably miles away. It hurt because ... he’s ... angry.”

“Did you see him? Did you ... get a vision or something?”

“He wants something done, and it’s not happening fast enough,” Harry said slowly, trying to focus.

Ron looked quite impressed that Harry could read Voldemort’s emotions but Harry wasn’t too thrilled about it. Ron thought Harry should tell someone but there was no way to send a message to Sirius or Remus now. They went back to their common room to work on their homework but Harry was confused. _It’s not enough that I don’t understand my own emotions, not I have Voldemort’s to confuse me more too,_ he thought. _And why has Dumbledore not tried to talk to me about it, I’m sure he’ll have some explanation for it._ But Harry was so tired that he soon fell asleep in the common room. He dreamt about a corridor, with no windows, and a door at the end of it. He dreamt about this before. Every time he was trying to get close to the door.

Harry awoke with a start when he heard someone say his name. It was Dobby bringing him Hedwig, who was healed now. Dobby rambled on about how the other house-elves now refused to clean the Gryffindor Tower because of all the things Hermione knitted for them, they found it insulting. So Dobby, of course, has been doing it alone, which he assured Harry he didn’t mind. Harry still felt it was a bit unfair.

“Harry Potter does not seem happy,” Dobby said. “Dobby wishes he could help Harry Potter for Harry Potter set Dobby free and Dobby is much, much happier now.”

“You can’t help me, Dobby, but thanks for the offer,” Harry smiled.

He was about to go to bed when an idea came to him.

“Wait a moment – there is something you can do for me, Dobby,” he said and the elf beamed. “I need to find a place where thirty people can practice Defence Against the Dark Arts without being discovered by any of the teachers. Especially Professor Umbridge.”

“Dobby knows the perfect place, sir!” the elf said happily and then proceeded to tell Harry about the Room of Requirement.

It sounded brilliant. Dobby told Harry where the Room of Requirement was and how to get to it and Harry couldn’t wait to tell Ron and Hermione the next day. He went to bed quite pleased with himself, and so grateful for Dobby.

The next day, they all spent their breaks trying to tell everyone that they would be meeting that evening. He told Cedric at lunch, who looked very pleased and gave Harry a wonderful smile that only made Harry more nervous. Cedric promised to pass the message to the other Hufflepuffs and also to Cho and her friend. By dinner, Harry was confident that everyone knew.

The Room of Requirement had everything they needed. Harry couldn’t believe it, it was almost as if the school wanted them to do this. Gradually, everyone managed to find the room and they were all impressed by it. They decided to name themselves the Dumbledore’s Army, which Harry found ironic since Dumbledore hasn’t said a word to him yet and here he was making an army for him.

After that, they paired and practised _Expelliarmus_. Harry was paired with Neville, who was struggling a lot but after some time, and with Harry’s help, he was able to cast it. Harry then went around helping the others while Neville took turns with Ron and Hermione. Some of them were doing well, some were struggling, but it was nothing that some practice couldn’t fix. Cedric, of course, was already very good at this spell; Harry thought that he didn’t really need to be in the group in the first place. But he was glad he was because Cedric was currently helping Ryan with the spell and looked at Harry, giving him the shiniest grin.

It was soon time to finish the lesson. They all agreed to meet next week and one by one carefully left the room. Harry looked at the Marauder’s Map to check if Filch wasn’t nearby and when the coast was clear, they too set off.

“That was really good,” Cedric said as he and Ryan joined them.

“It was!” Ryan added. “Good one, Harry, didn’t know you had it in you.”

“I was just there, everyone helped each other,” Harry said timidly. “Plus, you already know pretty much everything, Cedric.”

“Well, that’s not true. And I need practice too,” Cedric said. “I’m also there for moral support.”

“And that moral support is for me,” Ryan said. “Because I’m afraid of people when I’m sober. So don’t think it’s for you teaching us illegally like some boy who rebelled or something,” he laughed.

“Ignore him,” Cedric chuckled, “he thinks he’s funny.”

“Oi, I am a hoot,” Ryan grumbled.

“Well, I’ll talk to you soon, okay,” Cedric smiled and he and Ryan left for their dormitory.

“How adorable,” Hermione teased as they walked back to their common room.

“I know, isn’t it?” Ron added. “Look at him, still red as a tomato,” he chuckled.

“Shut up, guys,” Harry rolled his eyes but was very aware how red he was.

“Still decided on not telling him then?” Hermione asked.

“Look, I can barely being open to my friends, imagine me being in a relationship with someone,” said Harry.

“So you think there’s a possibility of a relationship?” Ron asked.

“No! That’s not what I said,” replied Harry. “I just don’t think it’s a good idea, that’s all.”

“Why?” Ron and Hermione both asked in unison.

“Well, first off, I don’t think Cedric really needs someone telling him this, he’s been a bit of a mess with Cho. Second, I know for a certain he would not like me back, I’m much younger, it would not help his reputation at all, and also I’m very unpredictable in every direction. Third, even if he did like me back, I think I’m too scared to be in a relationship, that word is actually foreign to me. Not only I’m a mess and it would be really hard to be with me, but also I’m a literal walking target at the moment and I’m a danger for anyone who’s near me. Fourth, I have too much schoolwork going on,” Harry rambled and felt himself getting jittery.

“Wow, you put a lot of thought into why it wouldn’t work, didn’t you,” said Hermione. “If only you focused your energy on something positive.”

“Don’t start,” said Harry.

“All I’m saying that you constantly focus on all the bad things and that’s not good.”

“Well, can you blame me?” asked Harry. “My whole life’s been a disaster after disaster.”

“That’s not true,” said Hermione. “That’s what I mean, you need to focus on the good things.”

“Yeah, she’s right,” Ron added. “What made you happy in the past?”

“Well, in the first year, I was so happy you sat with me on the train,” said Harry. “And then when we defeated the troll, that was a lot of fun,” he smiled. “Or when you came for me the summer in the second year and I stayed with you. Hermione as a cat,” he chuckled and she punched him in the shoulder slightly. “And when she was cured from being petrified. Hagrid teaching us in the third year and riding Buckbeak. Lupin’s lessons. Finding out the truth about Sirius and helping him escape.”

“See?” Hermione smiled. “What about the fourth year? What made you happy?”

“Cedric,” Harry said without thinking and then blushed. “You guys did too. Ron’s terrible dress robes for the Yule Ball,” he chuckled. “But the Tournament was terrible and the only thing that made me happy about it was Cedric. Then in summer, he came to see me that made me happy. Seeing Sirius and Remus together in Grimmauld Place was nice too.”

“Feeling better?” asked Hermione.

“Yeah,” Harry smiled.

“See, maybe it can sometimes be just that,” she said. “I know that a lot of things can be overwhelming for you but there are also nice things around. So don’t get too consumed in the dark, okay?”

“Okay,” Harry said and then he and Ron left for the boys’ dormitory.

They went to sleep but Harry couldn’t stop thinking about what Hermione said. _Don’t get consumed by the dark_. He felt strange as if there was no chance for him to not get consumed. As if some darkness already consumed him and although he’s been trying to run away from it, it already grabbed his ankle and has been pulling him back down. _No, focus on the nice things,_ he told himself. But no matter how he tried, he couldn’t help but feel that he was slowly becoming a very bad person.

Harry tried to focus on the nice things over the next two weeks. It was hard to find a time that would work for everyone for Dumbledore’s Army but they managed and it made Harry feel good. People were actually improving a lot too. Hermione soon devised a very clever way for them to communicate. She gave everyone a fake Galleon that would tell everyone the date and the time of their next meeting. It was brilliant; Harry couldn’t believe how smart Hermione was.

They spent a lot of time in the library too, working on their homework and were often joined by Cedric. Cedric helped Harry with his homework but only from time to time because as he said: “It’s not learning if I do it all for you”. Harry’s crush didn’t disappear; on the contrary, it appeared to be getting stronger. Every time Cedric gave him a small smile or hugged him, Harry felt electric sparks inside him. Cedric was also a very touchy person, which Harry didn’t realise before. But now that he really focused on it, Cedric was not afraid to show his affection to his friends. Harry noticed that he wasn’t the only one that Cedric would hug or ruffle his hair. Whenever he saw Cedric with his friend Ryan, they were always having pretend fights and he saw Cedric ruffle Ryan’s hair on multiple occasions. Cedric claimed it was because Ryan put a lot of effort into his hair every morning so he wanted to tease him. Harry assumed that he ruffled his hair just because Harry’s looked like a proper bird’s nest and were almost calling for someone to ruffle them.

Harry also went to see Madam Pomfrey again. This time he was glad to tell her he was feeling much better but when she asked why that was he just said that he was spending more time with his friends. He didn’t want to slip out the information about the DA. He told her about Hermione advising him to focus on nice things and how it helped but that it was often difficult. Madam Pomfrey was understanding but seemed happy with Harry doing so well.

The first match for the Quidditch Cup drew nearer as well, which meant more practice. They put their DA meetings on hold for a bit because they trained almost daily now for Quidditch. Ron was very nervous about the match and he often let the mean things the Slytherins shouted get to him. On the day of the match, Ron was so nervous he didn’t eat any breakfast. Hermione wished him good luck and kissed him on the cheek, which made Ron blush incredibly. The Slytherins were all wearing badges that said _Weasley is our king_ and Harry managed to rush Ron towards the Quidditch pitch without noticing them. The match was no good; they won in the end, thanks to Harry catching the snitch. But Ron was not doing well. The Slytherins kept singing a song to bully him all through the match. After it was over Malfoy kept shouting nasty things about the Weasley family at them and Harry couldn’t take it. Both he and George charged at him and were then sent to Professor McGonagall’s office. Professor McGonagall wanted to give them both detentions but Umbridge came in and according to her it was not enough. Harry could feel his blood boil as she was speaking. And then she gave Harry even worse punishment than detention with her. She banned Harry, George and Fred from playing Quidditch ever again. Harry felt the anger building up again and he couldn’t breathe. He was trying hard to appear alright in front of Umbridge, Professor McGonagal and George.

When he and George were returning, Harry had to stop to breathe. George looked at him, puzzled, and Harry felt so ashamed. George wasn’t a person he felt good having an episode in front of. George was funny, always teasing everyone, he was never serious, he never took anything to heart. And here Harry was, leaning on a wall, wheezing and counting in his head, trying to calm down.

“Harry?” he heard George’s voice. “Are you okay? Should I go get someone?”

“ ... no ... it’s .. fine,” Harry rambled. “ ... just ... need ... a minute.”

“Er ... I’m not really good with this kind of stuff,” George said nervously. “Fred’s much better. I should go get someone.”

“No,” Harry managed to say more clearly now. “I’ll ... be okay.”

Harry managed to calm himself enough to walk again and they went back to the Gryffindor Tower where everyone was waiting for them already. Everyone except Ron. Angelina was devastated that the team has lost three players and Harry felt incredibly guilty. Everyone went to sleep after that and he and Hermione waited for Ron, who came not long after. He felt very bad about the Quidditch match, obviously, but Harry felt terrible too so he didn’t know how to cheer him up. Hermione, of course, knew how to lift the mood, when she told them that Hagrid was back. They immediately took the Invisibility Cloak and rushed to visit him.

Hagrid looked terrible. He told them about his mission with the giants. He went with Madame Maxime and it took them about a month to only get there. The mission didn’t go well, the Death Eaters were more persuasive for the giants. Those that Hagrid managed to get on their side, were killed. And those who survived didn’t want to join anymore. They wanted to ask Hagrid more questions but Umbridge was already knocking at the door. They had to hide under the Invisibility Cloak quickly before Hagrid let her in. She was inspecting the cabin thoroughly and Harry was so scared she was going to find them. She kept asking Hagrid all sorts of questions, about where he was, why he was injured and Hagrid managed to make up a story. After she left, Harry, Ron and Hermione told him all about her and warned him about her inspections. Hagrid didn’t seem to be worried but that wasn’t very reassuring. Hermione decided to talk to him the next day again.

The next day was Sunday and Hermione kept to her word and left to talk to Hagrid first thing in the morning. Harry and Ron were so behind on their homework they had to stay in and study. They went to the library to work and soon were joined by Cedric.

“Oh, I’m so glad you’re here,” he said as he sat down next to Harry. “What happened yesterday after the Quidditch match? Fred and George are throwing a snowball fight outside and keep saying that they’re banned?”

“Oh,” Harry gulped and looked at Ron who seemed to be uncomfortable. “Yeah, they’re banned ... and me too.”

“What?! How? She can’t do this!” Cedric argued and had to actually be shushed by Madam Pince.

“Um, I have to look for a book,” Ron said and left them alone.

“Well, she can and she did,” Harry said. “There’s nothing we can do.”

“Ugh,” Cedric huffed, looking very frustrated. “I hate that.”

“Yeah, me too.”

“I’m sorry.”

“It’s not your fault.”

“Are you feeling okay?” Cedric asked and Harry looked at him. _God, why are you so nice and beautiful?_

“I’ve been better. But it’s fine. Hagrid’s back now,” said Harry and gave him a small smile.

“Really? That’s good,” Cedric smiled. “Did you warn him about Umbridge?”

“Yes, Hermione’s there now too, trying to make sure his classes won’t be too dangerous. But I doubt it’ll work,” said Harry.

“Hm, let’s hope.”

“How are you?” Harry asked then.

“Fine. Swamped with homework,” Cedric said and Harry noticed his hands being a bit twitchy.

“Hey, are you okay?” he asked and took Cedric’s hand. “You’re a bit twitchy.”

“What? Oh, that’s okay, don’t worry,” said Cedric. “I’m always like this when I’m stressed. You should’ve seen me during my O.W.L.s.”

“What subjects are you taking anyway?”

“Er ... Defence Against the Dark Arts, Transfiguration, Charms, Herbology, Care for Magical Creatures and Potions.”

“What? That’s so many, don’t you only need to take like three?” Harry asked, surprised.

“Yes, but I didn’t want to drop any of those. Professor Sprout already talked me out Arithmancy and Astronomy.”

“You’re mad,” Harry chuckled.

“Well ... yeah,” Cedric smiled. “So it’s my own fault I have so much homework.”

“I bet you’re stressed in vain anyway. You already know everything.”

“No one knows everything, that’s impossible,” said Cedric and Harry could see how stressed he really was.

“Did you sleep enough?”

“I did sleep. I know I did.”

“But was it enough?”

“That’s unimportant. Sleep is only going to distract me,” Cedric shrugged.

“Merlin, you’re worse than Hermione,” said Harry and squeezed his hand. “But really, you should take a break, you can’t go on like this.”

“Hm,” Cedric mumbled and went back to his homework.

Harry realised that there was no talking to him at the moment. He hoped that he was not going to get like this for N.E.W.T.s. He went back to writing his own homework. After a while, he could feel Cedric taking his hand once again under the table and just holding it. He supposed it was some sort of a reassurance the boy needed. He did not look away from his homework and Harry tried to stay focused on his. _Damn you,_ he thought but couldn’t help to smile a little bit.

Soon, Ron came back and when he saw they were both deep in homework, he looked a bit relieved. Hermione joined them after a while too and she did not look happy. Apparently, Hagrid didn’t really listen to much she was saying and assured her he had great stuff planned for their lessons. That troubled them all. They spent the rest of the day pretty much buried in homework, only taking breaks for food. Around five in the afternoon, Harry could see Cedric slowly dozing off. It didn’t take long until he fell asleep, his head leaning on his hand, with a quill in the other. They all exchanged looks and chuckled at the sight. It was strange, Harry thought. He always saw Cedric as someone who had everything together, Harry next to him always looked like a proper mess. Not that this changed it. He just looked so vulnerable and Harry secretly liked it.

“Cedric,” he whispered and touched his hand, “you fell asleep.”

“ ... whatsthat?” Cedric mumbled and opened his eyes.

“Come on, let’s get dinner, you should go to sleep after,” Harry smiled.

“No, I can’t sleep, I have so much to do,” Cedric protested but it was obvious that he was trying very hard to stay awake.

“You can’t stay awake either,” Harry chuckled. “Come on,” he said as he packed his things. “You guys coming?”

“I’m not hungry yet,” Hermione said. “I think I’ll work here for a bit.”

“Yeah, me too,” Ron said. “I’m sure all I’ve written is bullocks.”

“I’ll look over it for you, Ronald, but you need to finish it yourself,” Hermione said strictly.

“Okay, well, I’ll see you in the common room later,” Harry said and he and Cedric left.

They went for dinner and Harry sat with Cedric at the Hufflepuff table, which was a nice change. Cedric was yawning almost every five minutes and Harry couldn’t help but chuckle.

“When have you become the responsible one?” Cedric said between yawns.

“I guess you rubbed off on me,” Harry shrugged and chuckled.

They finished their dinner and Harry walked Cedric to the Hufflepuff common room.

“I guess the roles have switched,” Harry teased.

“Hm ... yeah, don’t get used to it,” Cedric smiled. “But thank you.”

“Anytime,” Harry said. “Now go to sleep.”

Cedric was looking at him for a while, which made Harry feel a bit uneasy. Then he hugged him and ruffled his hair.

“Good night,” he said.

“..er ... sleep well,” Harry stuttered. _Calm down, you idiot._

With that Cedric went into his common room and Harry climbed up to the Gryffindor Tower. When Ron and Hermione came after an hour or so, they continued with their homework but managed to go to sleep in a reasonable hour.

Luckily, Umbridge didn’t inspect Hagrid’s lesson the next day. He led them to the edge of the Forest. Harry was relieved when he saw what Hagrid prepared for them. It was those creatures that he’s seen before, carrying the carriages to Hogwarts. That meant he hasn’t hallucinated them. But most of the people in the class looked confused. Only another boy in Slytherin seemed to see them and Neville too. They were called Thestrals and the only people who could see them were the once who have seen death. _Oh, that’s why_ Harry thought. But then, Umbridge had arrived. Hagrid appeared to be jolly at first but Umbridge said that Thestrals were incredibly dangerous. She walked around to ask students some questions and Harry could see Hermione beaming with rage. It didn’t go well, obviously. Umbridge left, telling Hagrid that he will receive the results soon.

The weather was getting colder as it was almost December. They were constantly busy with homework but managed to have time for a snowball fight that was organised by Fred and George. Cedric joined them and it was nice to see him carefree for a moment. Harry noticed that the boy was still worried all the time about his N.E.W.T.s and it troubled him.

“I mean, his dad is probably worse than our mom,” Fred said as they were walking back to the Gryffindor Tower. He noticed Harry looking over at Cedric all the time, of course.

“What?”

“You know, I think our mum gave up on George and I long time ago, we proved her we’re not suited for education,” Fred chuckled. “But he’s naturally smart, plus his dad’s high expectations.”

“Oh, I never realised,” said Harry.

“Yeah, you should’ve seen him during O.W.L.s. He was a right mess.”

“I wish I could do something,” sighed Harry.

“I’m sure you could distract him somehow,” Fred winked. “But me and George are planning a Christmas party before the holidays. I’m sure that will help him relax.”

“Sounds good,” Harry said.

“Yeah, but don’t tell Ron and Hermione, you know the goody-old prefects,” Fred chuckled.

December finally arrived and Ron and Hermione became busier with prefect duties as they had to help with the decorations. The DA meetings kept bringing Harry joy but of course, they had to stop once the holidays would start. Cedric was still stressing but he seemed to be calmer when he was studying with Harry. Harry was excited for Christmas, as he was spending it with Sirius and Remus and Ron said that the Weasleys would come and join them on Boxing Day. He was also excited for Fred and George’s Christmas party. Ron and Hermione found out, of course. Ron was as thrilled as Harry but Hermione disapproved. After they convinced her that it was not going to be like Cedric’s birthday party, she said she was going to pretend that she didn’t know about it. Harry also had already a gift for Cedric. He managed to order a muggle Polaroid camera in Hogsmeade and couldn’t wait for Cedric to see it.

Their last DA meeting was before the Christmas party. They only revised what they’ve done so far and finished earlier than usual so everyone could get ready to come to the Gryffindor common room later. Angelina told Harry that Ginny has taken his spot as a Seeker and Harry was glad they found someone. Although he was still upset he couldn’t play himself. After their meeting, they went back to their common room and Fred and George started preparing everything.

The common room had a nice Christmas atmosphere, there was music playing and there was plenty of Christmas food. Although there was alcohol again, Harry promised himself he was not going to be stupid again. Soon, the common room was filled with other students, as the other DA members arrived with their friends. Harry took Cedric aside after a while.

“I’ve got something for you,” he said excitedly.

“Really?” Cedric smiled. “Because I’ve got a gift for you too. It’s in my bag, wait for a second,” he said and went to find his bag.

“Come on,” said Harry when he returned and led Cedric upstairs to the dormitory. “I’ve got it there, I don’t want the others snooping.”

They climbed upstairs and Harry immediately dived into his trunk to find it. Cedric sat on his bed and when Harry found the present, he sat down next to him.

“Merry Christmas,” Harry said as he gave Cedric his gift.

“Merry Christmas, Harry,” Cedric smiled and gave Harry his present.

Harry opened Cedric’s present. It was a small replica of Nimbus 2000 that flew around him and as it flew it was playing an instrumental song.

“Wow, that’s so nice,” Harry said in awe.

“I know your first broom was Nimbus 2000 so I thought it would be nice to have something to remember it by,” Cedric smiled.

“It’s lovely, thank you,” Harry said. “Open yours.”

And Cedric did.

“Is that a muggle camera?” Cedric asked. “Wow, thank you so much.”

He immediately hugged Harry and then took a picture.

“Don’t take pictures of me,” Harry laughed.

“I can take pictures of whoever I want,” Cedric chuckled and took the Polaroid picture and put it in his bag.

They looked at each other then and Harry could swear something passed between them. Cedric looked as if he was thinking about something and Harry felt his heart beating really fast. Cedric took Harry’s hand in his and was about to say something when there was a loud thud from the common room. They immediately stood up.

“Better see what that’s about,” Harry said nervously.

“Yeah,” Cedric said and they both went back downstairs.

The music stopped playing and everyone was cleaning up quickly.

“Quick, everyone has to go,” Fred said. “Someone saw McGonagall coming up here.”

Everyone left abruptly after that. Cedric hugged Harry goodbye and was gone too. Harry helped the others with the cleaning up and then it was time to go to sleep. Harry was wondering what Cedric wanted to say before they got interrupted. He couldn’t stop thinking about his smile when he opened Harry’s present. The small broom was still flying around him, playing the soft tune and then Harry fell asleep.

Harry was dreaming. At first, it was nice, he was in the dormitory with Cedric, who was still holding his hand. Then something changed and Cedric frowned at him. _“You’re a bad person, Harry,”_ he said. Then the dream changed. His body felt different, he was gliding between shining metal bars, across the dark, cold stone, he was flat against the floor. Then there was a man and Harry could taste his blood. His forehead was aching so hard it was as if it was going to burst.

“Harry! HARRY!”

He opened his eyes and Ron was standing over him. He felt so ill, everything hurt and he was shivering. And then he realised.

“Your dad,” he panted at Ron. “Your dad’s been attacked.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> whoop, whoop.  
> I hope you enjoyed, thank you so much for reading and all the nice response! :)


	13. The reality of being a wizard teenager

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Christmas, New Years, and other things.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okaay, I've been struggling with a block lately and I've been a bit busy, but here it is. Thank you for the responses on the fic so far, I appreciate it a lot! :)
> 
> Btw, I'm really bad at naming these chapters and everything so ignore that please.

Harry was babbling about his dream and Ron was trying to calm him down while Dean and Seamus looked nervous. Neville went to get Professor McGonagall and when she arrived Harry repeated what happened.

“I’m not lying and I’m not mad!” Harry told her, his voice rising. “I tell you, I saw it happen!”

“I believe you, Potter,” said Professor McGonagall curtly. “Put on your dressing gown – we’re going to see the Headmaster.”

Harry and Ron quickly followed Professor McGonagall out of the dormitory and to Dumbledore’s office. Dumbledore was surprisingly awake and he had to retell everything, which was getting him more and more frustrated. He just wanted everyone to do something and try to help Mr Weasley. But Dumbledore kept questioning him about the dream. _Why is it important where I was in the dream,_ Harry thought, _why does no one do anything?_ Then Dumbledore talked to some of the paintings to pass on the message to someone. Harry wasn’t paying too much attention to that. He felt like he wasn’t even there, everything was happening so fast around him and he just felt the anger building up inside him. Then one of the portraits returned and said that Mr Weasley was found, seriously injured. Harry glanced at Ron who looked absolutely terrified. Dumbledore then told Professor McGonagall to wake the other Weasley children and send Fawkes to inform Mrs Weasley. Then he instructed another painting to tell Sirius in Grimmauld Place that Harry and the Weasleys are going to come there soon.

Then it happened all so quickly. The rest of the Weasleys came, looking confused and terrified, and they were all transported to Grimmauld Place via Portkey. When they got there, Sirius was already waiting and immediately hugged Harry. Then they all asked Harry what was going on and he had to retell his story once again. Mrs Weasley wasn’t there but she sent a note that she went to St. Mungo’s and that Mr Weasley was not dead. Which sounded horrifying. They all sat down and Sirius brought them butterbeer to calm down. But Harry was deep in his thoughts, he just wanted to be invisible. _I attacked him, why did I do that? No, don’t be silly, that wasn’t you. But it was me and it felt good, didn’t it. And in Dumbledore’s office, I felt like I wanted to attack Dumbledore too ..._

Everyone was quiet but they didn’t go to sleep. They all just sat there, waiting. Harry often looked at Sirius and they exchanged looks, neither of them knew what to do, they both felt like intruders. Harry thought about Hermione waking up in Hogwarts and finding out they were gone. Hopefully, Professor McGonagall would tell her what happened and Hermione would tell Cedric.

Finally, around five in the morning, Mrs Weasley arrived and said that Mr Weasley was alright and they could come to see him later. Sirius then decided to make everyone some breakfast and Harry hurried to help him, not wanting to intrude on a family moment. But soon he was pulled into a hug by Mrs Weasley, who thanked him. Harry didn’t feel like there was a reason to thank him but didn’t say anything. It was decided that the Weasleys will stay through Christmas and Sirius looked very happy about it. Harry took Sirius aside afterwards because he desperately needed to tell him what really happened. He told him about the vision and how he was the snake and how he felt in Dumbledore’s office.

“You need to sleep,” said Sirius firmly. “You’re going to have breakfast, then go upstairs to bed, and after lunch, you can go and see Arthur with the others. You’re in shock, Harry; you’re blaming yourself for something you only witnessed, and, luckily, you did witness it or Arthur might have died. Just stop worrying.”

But Harry still felt terrible. Sirius hugged him and sent him to breakfast. Everyone went to sleep afterwards but Harry couldn’t. He was afraid of what he might see, or who he might become.

During lunch, their trunks arrived from Hogwarts so they could change. And then they set off to St Mungo’s. Mr Weasley was very cheerful but still looked quite injured. They didn’t want to tell them about Mr Weasley’s mission in the Ministry but Fred and George had the Extendable Ears with them. So they all listened to Moody talking to Mr and Mrs Weasley about Harry.

“There’s something funny about the Potter kid, we all know that,” said Moody.

“Dumbledore seemed worried about Harry when I spoke to him this morning,” whispered Mrs Weasley

“Course he’s worried,” growled Moody. “The boy’s seeing things from inside You-Know-Who’s snake. Obviously, Potter doesn’t realise what that means, but if You-Know-Who’s possessing him –“

Harry couldn’t listen any longer. All the other Weasleys were staring at him and his heart was pounding. _Of course, I don’t realise what it means,_ he thought, _but whenever I ask no one tells me anything. Are they worried I’m turning into Voldemort?_ Harry felt so sick. When they returned to Grimmauld Place he went straight to bed, not wanting to talk to anyone. _What if I am really a nutter? What if I can’t help being a bad person? I’m probably dangerous to everyone just by staying here._ These thoughts were going through Harry’s head all night. He skipped dinner too, he didn’t feel very hungry. He felt that everyone probably wanted to avoid him anyway, and he didn’t blame them. He was angry, he was so very angry. At Dumbledore for not talking to him, at the others for being afraid of him, but mostly at himself for being who he was.

Hermione arrived the next day, which was a surprise. She said that she wanted to spend Christmas with them rather than going skiing with her parents. But Harry thought that she was just being nice, why would she want to spend Christmas with him? With Ron probably.

“Cedric wanted to come too,” she said. “He wanted to come here immediately when we found out. But we had to wait for the term to officially finish and his parents wanted him to come home first. He said he’ll come over soon, though.”

They all went back to the room Harry shared with Ron. They sat down on the beds and all of them stared at Harry. He felt suddenly very annoyed with them. Hermione asked him how he was feeling but Harry just snapped at her. She said that they were all worried about him and that the others have told her what they overheard in St Mungo’s.

“All been talking about me, have you? Well, I’m getting used to it,” Harry growled.

“We wanted to talk to you, Harry,” said Ginny, “but as you’ve been hiding ever since we got back –“

“I didn’t want anyone to talk to me,” said Harry and he started shaking a bit again.

“Well, that was a bit stupid of you,” said Ginny angrily, “seeing as you don’t know anyone but me who’s been possessed by You-Know-Who, and I can tell you how it feels.”

“I’m sorry,” Harry said after a while.

Ginny told him that she was sure he was not possessed but Harry was still shaking so he started slowly counting in his head to calm himself down. It helped. Plus everyone reassured him that he was not a lunatic, which was helpful too.

“Thank you, guys,” Harry said. “I’m sorry I’ve been avoiding you.”

“That’s okay,” smiled Hermione.

Remus arrived the next day and he looked pleasantly surprised at the busy house. They were all doing Christmas decorations and everyone seemed so happy. Even Sirius was in a great mood, which Harry hasn’t seen him in a long time. When Remus arrived Sirius immediately ran to him with mistletoe in his hand. Remus pretended to put on a fight but eventually let Sirius kiss him.

“Stop being so embarrassing,” Remus chuckled at Sirius who only kept going around the house and singing Christmas carols.

Remus then came to talk to Harry.

“You’re okay?” he asked.

“Yeah,” Harry nodded. “I’m glad everyone’s here.”

“Me too,” Remus smiled. “He’s been so moody lately, it’s nice to see him like this.”

“Yeah,” said Harry.

“How’re things? You know, besides terrible visions?” Remus said but the corners of his mouth twitched up a bit.

“Good. Er ... I shouldn’t talk about the DA when Mrs Weasley is around,” he whispered.

“Come on, let’s have some tea in our room,” said Remus.

They walked upstairs to Remus and Sirius’ room and Sirius soon came too, followed by Kreacher who brought them tea. Remus and Sirius sat on the sofa and Harry on the armchair facing them.

“So, the DA, you say?” asked Remus. “That stands for?”

“Dumbledore’s Army,” replied Harry. “But don’t tell him!”

“Don’t worry about that, Harry,” Sirius chuckled. “We’re glad you’re doing something behind his back.”

“It’s pretty easy since he doesn’t talk to me.”

“Don’t get me started on that,” Remus rolled his eyes. “We can’t question him, because he knows the best.”

“Moony, it’s okay, don’t get angry,” said Sirius.

“I know, I know. Anyway, the DA then?”

“Yeah, we’re thirty altogether. I’m really enjoying it,” Harry said. “It’s exciting. Plus we’re all learning a lot, I think.”

“Good, good,” Remus nodded. “Just be careful. With Umbridge and all.”

“I know, we are,” Harry assured him.

“And how are you getting on with other things? O.W.L.s and stuff?” asked Remus.

“Moony, don’t be the boring parent who only asks about school,” Sirius rolled his eyes.

“It’s okay,” Harry chuckled. “It’s been okay. I’ve been banned from Quidditch, which sucked a bit. But I have loads to do, so I don’t have too much time to think about it. Cedric helps me a lot with homework.”

“Does he?” said Sirius teasingly.

“Oh yeah, but only when I put some effort into it, otherwise it wouldn’t be fair,” Harry chuckled. “And also when he’s not too busy with his homework. He’s studying for his N.E.W.T.s now and you should see him, he’s all over the place.”

“Hmm,” both Sirius and Remus nodded knowingly.

“And when is the miracle boy joining us?” asked Sirius and Remus nudged him.

“Er ... I don’t know. Hermione said that soon. I assume he’d rather spend Christmas with his family. So maybe after that,” Harry shrugged.

“I’m sure he’ll be here in no time,” Sirius snickered.

“Sirius, stop behaving like a teenage girl!” Remus chuckled.

Harry looked at them, confused.

“I’m sorry, Harry,” Sirius said with a smile. “I’m just teasing you.”

“Er ... wait ... you know, right?” asked Harry.

“Know what?” Sirius said innocently while Remus mumbled “oh dear God” and put his head in his hands.

“You know ... that ... er,” stuttered Harry. “I like Cedric ... er ... in like more than friends way,” he almost whispered.

Sirius couldn’t hold it in any longer and started laughing. Remus slightly punched him in the shoulder.

“I’m sorry, Harry, your godfather is being an idiot,” said Remus. “But yes, we had our suspicion.”

“... oh ... how ... how did you know?”

“Oh, Harry, you were exactly like James,” chuckled Sirius. “Since fourth year all we heard was ‘Lilly is so great, she is so smart and she does this and that’. And this summer, you had the exact same puppy face whenever Cedric was around.”

“And by that,” Remus said, “Sirius wants to say that we like Cedric and you should feel free to tell us anything.”

“I know,” said Harry. “I was just so confused lately that I wasn’t even sure how to tell you. And then there were all these other things happening.”

“Well, have you told Cedric?” asked Remus.

“No, and I don’t think I should,” said Harry. “It’s only going to make things weird.”

“You know,” Remus said with a smile, “it’s better to speak than to suffer in silence.”

“I ...,” Harry paused. “I don’t want to put anyone else in more danger because of who I am.”

“You’re thinking too much,” said Sirius. “Very Lilly trait.”

Harry just shrugged. It was very obvious that he didn’t want to talk about it any further. He already heard this from Ron and Hermione and there wasn’t anything new Sirius and Remus could tell him. He was decided already. And maybe he was being stubborn or a coward but he didn’t want to lose Cedric over a stupid teenage crush. Remus and Sirius didn’t try to get him to talk after that either.

Even after talking to Ron, Hermione and Ginny, Harry still caught himself being careful about what he was thinking all the time. Every now and then he would distract himself from thinking very disturbing thoughts, from thinking about hurting someone for example. It scared Harry to a great effect but he didn’t tell anyone. Ginny convinced him that Voldemort did not possess his mind, which only meant that these thoughts were his own. But how could he voice any of this to anyone? He couldn’t tell his friends because they would surely be afraid of him. He could not tell Madam Pomfrey either, she would probably get him locked up in St Mungo’s. And these thoughts, Harry knew they were wrong but he couldn’t stop having them. And he couldn’t stop thinking what if these thoughts will consume him one day?

Despite Harry’s distress Christmas Day in the Grimmauld Place was Harry’s favourite Christmas so far. It felt very warm. There was still no word from Cedric on when he’s going to visit but Harry understood. Still, he enjoyed the day with everyone else. They went to see Mr Weasley later that day in St Mungo’s too. There they also met a very confused Gilderoy Lockhart which was a very amusing experience. What was not that amusing was running into Neville and his grandmother as they came to visit Neville’s parents.

Cedric came to the Grimmauld Place on the 28th December. Harry almost didn’t believe he would come in the end. But there he was, coming through the front door with his suitcase as well.

“Hello, Cedric,” Remus smiled as he held the front door open for him. “Didn’t know you’d be coming in the end.”

“Hi, yeah, sorry I didn’t send an owl. I wasn’t sure if it was safe,” Cedric said as he came in. “I would’ve come earlier but my parents wanted me to stay with them for some time. But I can stay until we have to go back to Hogwarts. Er ... I hope that’s no trouble.”

“No trouble at all,” said Remus kindly. “We’re happy to have you here.”

“Exactly, the more the merrier,” said Sirius who emerged from the kitchen. “Harry is upstairs with the other kids,” he winked.

“Thanks ... er ... I’ll go there then,” said Cedric.

When Cedric entered the room he was sharing with Harry and Ron over the summer, he found everyone there. Harry and Ron were playing wizard chess while Hermione was discussing something with Ginny, and Fred and George were talking about their new products. Everyone stopped and looked at him as soon as he opened the door.

“Cedric!” Harry smiled. “You’re here!”

“Er ... hello,” said Cedric nervously and put his trunk by his bed. “So, how is your dad?” he asked the Weasleys.

“He’s okay,” said Ron.

“Still in St Mungo’s,” said Fred. “But he’s getting better.”

“But they don’t want to tell us much about what happened,” said George. “Because we’re not in their stupid Order.”

“Even though it’s our dad that got hurt fulfilling their dumb mission,” said Fred.

“Mum said he might be able to go home soon,” said Ginny.

“That’s good,” smiled Cedric. “My parents send you their love. You know, we live close to the Burrow so if you need anything or your parents, just let us know.”

The Weasleys smiled and nodded but didn’t seem to want to discuss it any further.

“How was your Christmas?” asked Hermione.

“Pretty okay,” shrugged Cedric. “Although I was constantly nervous because I wanted to come here as soon as possible. But my parents didn’t let me. Had to visit all of my grandparents and all that. Didn’t even have that much time to study.”

“Oh no, what a disaster,” mocked Fred. “George, have you studied?”

“Study?” chuckled George. “Oh my, I’ve never heard such a word.”

“You know, for the N.E.W.T.s?” continued Fred.

“New what?” asked George. “Is that some sort of disease?”

“It is, my dear brother, the worst kind of disease,” said Fred.

“Come off it, you two,” frowned Hermione. “You really should start studying or your mother will have your head.”

“That’s a problem for the future us,” said Fred.

“And you, Ronald,” said Hermione when she heard Ron chuckle. “You haven’t opened a book since we came here. Don’t expect me to help you if you don’t put any effort in.”

“But it’s Christmas, Hermione,” whined Ron. “Harry hasn’t touched one either.”

“Then you’re both as bad as each other, congratulations,” said Hermione.

“Hey,” Harry nudged Ron. “Thanks a lot, mate.”

“If I’m going down, I’m taking you with me,” said Ron.

“That’s it, I think we should all do some studying now,” said Hermione and got up.

“Well, count me out,” said Ginny. “I’m going to see if Tonks is here, she’s much more fun,” and with that, she left.

“We have some business to discuss,” said George and both he and Fred disapparated.

“Never mind,” said Hermione, “we have a lot to study.”

“Hermione,” whined Ron, “can’t you take a break? If not for you than for me? Make it my Christmas present.”

“I already gave you a present, Ronald,” glared Hermione. “Come on, it’s either studying with me or cleaning with your mother.”

“Bloody hell,” snarled Ron. “Why does my life suck so much?”

“Aw, _Ronnie wonnie,_ does reading hurt your head?” teased Harry.

“Don’t laugh, you’re coming too,” chuckled Ron.

“But Cedric just arrived,” said Harry. “We can’t just abandon him.”

“Well I need to study too,” said Cedric. “So I’ll join you, don’t worry.”

“Oh, why is there another Hermione now?” asked Ron.

“There’s two of you so it’s only fair there’s two of us,” chuckled Cedric. “I don’t understand how Hermione managed you two all alone before.”

“I’m glad there’s someone else with a brain now,” smiled Hermione.

They all went downstairs to sit by the dining table and study. Harry was sitting next to Cedric and every now and then he glanced up at him. Cedric was so focused on his work that he didn’t notice. Harry liked watching Cedric focus, the way he didn’t pay attention to anything else. When he looked up at him for what was probably the fifth time, Ron kicked him under the table. Harry glared at him and Ron just winked teasingly. Soon it was time for dinner and Mrs Weasley made them clear the dining table.

The next few days were pretty much the same. They would either study or help Mrs Weasley with cleaning. They also went to visit Mr Weasley in St Mungo’s almost every day. Harry didn’t have the chance to talk to Cedric privately and he knew the boy was eyeing him with worry all the time. But they spent time together with the others and Harry hoped that would give Cedric the impression that there was nothing wrong and that Harry was okay. Which, of course, he wasn’t but he didn’t feel like talking about it anyway.

On New Year’s Eve, the house was very busy. Mrs Weasley was preparing food and drinks all day for the evening celebrations. Sirius seemed to be in his spirit. Harry had never seen him this happy as over this holiday. Some of the other members of the Order were supposed to arrive in the evening to join the celebrations as well as Cedric’s parents. Harry was a bit nervous around them but they were nice to him. Mr Diggory was very polite and Mrs Diggory was very kind.

“Cedric wouldn’t shut up about you all Christmas,” she smiled.

“Mum ... don’t,” Cedric said nervously.

“Well I’m glad we can see you again, this time in a more pleasant circumstance,” she said.

“I’m glad too,” smiled Harry but was nervous too.

The house was full of people by the evening. And although Mr Weasley was still not out of St Mungo’s all the other Weasleys seemed to be in a good mood.

“Are you okay?” asked Cedric as he walked over to Harry who was idling in the corner by himself.

“Yeah,” said Harry. “It’s nice.”

“You seem sad.”

“I’m not,” said Harry. “It’s just ... it’s nice to see everyone. And Sirius seems so happy. I don’t want him to be here all alone after it ends.”

“I know,” Cedric nodded. “But he’ll be okay, he’s got, Remus.”

“Yeah, I know.”

“How are you otherwise?”

“I’m okay,” said Harry.

“The truth, Harry,” smiled Cedric.

“Really, I’m fine,” said Harry. “I’ve just been confused lately.”

“How?”

“Er ... my brain’s a mess,” answered Harry.

“As usual,” chuckled Cedric. “What’s eating you?”

“I don’t know ... er ... I don’t think I can tell you.”

“Why?”

“I don’t want you to think differently of me,” whispered Harry.

“Harry,” said Cedric and took Harry’s hand in his. “If something’s troubling you, you can tell me. If you want to, of course. But don’t think I’m going to stop caring about you.”

“It’s ... er ...,” Harry started nervously. “I have these thoughts. Very dark thoughts. Often I have to stop myself from thinking because I know what I’m thinking is wrong. But I’m afraid they’re going to get worse and worse until one day, they won’t be just thoughts anymore.”

Harry almost forgot to breathe when he said it. It was quiet for a while, the only noise surrounding them was the distant conversations of the rest of the party. Cedric still held his hand and then Harry felt as he started drawing soothing circles into his palm.

“Harry,” he said finally. “You are not your thoughts. And you’re not a bad person. It is not what we’re thinking that makes us who we are, it’s what we do. And as far as I can tell, you’ve been a pretty good person so far.”

“I ... er ... thanks,” said Harry but couldn’t stop looking at their joined hands.

It was almost midnight and everyone started shouting the countdown to the New Year. Harry could see Sirius and Remus in the centre of it all and they both looked so happy. Ginny was with Tonks and the twins and they were trying to steal some alcohol without Mrs Weasley noticing. Ron and Hermione were sitting on the sofa and talking about something. It struck midnight and everyone shouted “Happy New Year”.

“Harry,” whispered Cedric, “happy New Year,” and he kissed Harry on the cheek.

Harry was red as a tomato and couldn’t make out a comprehensive sound. Cedric smiled and went to join the rest of the people. Harry stood there for a while before he managed to make a move and went to sit with Ron and Hermione.

“What’s wrong, Harry?” Hermione asked. “You look a bit pale.”

“Nothing, nothing,” said Harry. He was definitely not going to tell them what just happened. “What were you guys talking about?”

“Er ... just the O.W.L.s,” said Ron and his ears were very pink.

“Yes, just that,” said Hermione way too quickly and Harry was confused. _Seems like I’m not the only one with a secret then._

After the New Year, everyone went back to being way too serious. Cedric didn’t mention anything about the brief kiss and Harry didn’t either. He just couldn’t stop blushing every time they talked. On the last day of the holidays, they were visited by Snape who was sent to talk to Harry. Sirius insisted to be present for the talk Harry had to have with Snape and so did Remus. Remus, however, seemed to want to stay there to prevent Sirius from doing anything stupid as Sirius was angry at anything Snape said. Snape just informed Harry that he was to teach him Occlumency as soon as the new semester started. That didn’t thrill Harry at all. Spending extra time with Snape of all people. But he supposed it was better than detention with Umbridge. He was frustrated that Dumbledore didn’t tell him himself but at this point, he was not surprised.

It almost escalated into a fight between Sirius and Snape but it was stopped by Mr Weasley who stepped into the room. He has just returned from St Mungo’s and looked he was back to full health. Snape left after that and they started getting ready to go back to school. Before they left Sirius gave Harry a small package.

“What is it?” asked Harry.

“A way of letting me know if Snape’s giving you a hard time,” said Sirius. “No, don’t open it here! I doubt Molly would approve – but I want you to use it if you need me, all right?”

“Okay,” said Harry and put the package in the pocket of his jacket.

They said goodbye to everyone, Harry hugged Sirius tightly, and then they stepped outside. They were accompanied by Remus and Tonks, who took them on the Knight Bus. It took them to Hogsmeade where they said goodbye. Harry hugged Remus before leaving too and Remus reminded him to be careful and to take Occlumency with Snape seriously. Harry nodded and then he, Hermione, the Weasley children and Cedric set off to Hogwarts.

“Well, I’ll see you guys later,” said Cedric as he headed to his own dormitory.

They all waved goodbye at him and headed to the Gryffindor Tower. Harry stared at Cedric for a little longer before he blushed and walked upstairs too.

The next day the classes started. Harry was constantly stopped in the hallways by the members of the DA as they asked him when the next meeting was going to be. Harry was dreading the evening with Snape and couldn’t think of anything else. They were joined by Cedric for dinner as he sat with them at the Gryffindor table.

“Hey,” he said as he sat down next to Harry. “I just wanted to make sure you were okay before the lesson with Snape.”

“Hi,” said Harry. “I’m okay, it’s going to be fine,” he assured him although he didn’t believe it himself.

“Have you seen the notice board? It’s got the date of the next Hogsmeade trip,” said Cedric trying to bring Harry to different thoughts.

“No, I haven’t looked yet.”

“Well, do you want to go together?” asked Cedric.

“Yeah, alright,” smiled Harry.

“Isn’t that on Valentine’s Day?” asked Ron and Hermione nudged him disapprovingly.

“Hm, is it?” said Cedric and continued eating his food.

Harry looked at his friends who were only giving him a very strange look. He felt himself going red again but tried to focus on eating something. After dinner, he headed to the dungeons to meet Snape for his first Occlumency lesson.

It was fair to say that Harry did not enjoy Occlumency. He was trying to push Snape away from his memories but he was not very good at it. The only time he managed it was when he saw a memory of the New Year’s Eve and he refused to show Snape Cedric kissing him on the cheek. But then it was getting harder and when he saw Cedric die again, he couldn’t fight it anymore. Snape was not happy with him at all, but then when he ever was? They practised more and something strange happened. Harry saw the corridor from his dream again, the tiles that covered it, and the door at the end of it, and he remembered. He remembered where he saw it. But Snape didn’t want to tell him anything about the Department of Mysteries at the Ministry of Magic. The lesson finished shortly after that and Harry went to find his friends.

He found Ron, Hermione and Cedric in the library, working on their homework. Harry felt he was shivering still from the lesson and he was fighting the urge to cry. He sat down next to Cedric and told them all what happened. He couldn’t look at Cedric, the memory of him dying flying straight back into his mind again. When he finished telling them Ron and Hermione said they should go to the common room.

“Are you okay?” asked Cedric. “You’re all shivery.”

“Yeah ... I’m fine,” said Harry but still didn’t look at him.

“Come on,” said Cedric and took his hand. “You guys go ahead,” he said to Ron and Hermione who just nodded.

He led Harry to the kitchens. It was a long time since they visited them together, Harry realised. They sat by the fireplace and Cedric never let go of Harry’s hand.

“What is it?” he asked.

“It’s nothing,” lied Harry.

“Then why don’t you look at me?”

“It was just ... er ... it was not pleasant, that’s all,” said Harry.

“Harry,” said Cedric kindly. “You saw me die again, right?”

Harry nodded and looked up at Cedric finally. He felt like crying again but was trying really hard not to. But it was no use, he felt tears running down his face already. Cedric enveloped him in a tight hug, Harry’s head buried in his chest.

“I’m sorry,” mumbled Harry. “It’s silly.”

“It’s not,” said Cedric. “It’s okay.”

“It just feels,” Harry hiccupped, “like everything is happening and I have no control. And I’m scared.”

“It’s okay, Harry,” whispered Cedric and Harry could feel him tracing soothing circles on his back. “It’s going to be okay.”

“I’m scared something horrible is going to happen to someone else I care about.”

“I know,” said Cedric. “But whatever happens, Harry, it’s not your fault. It’s what it is and the best we can do is be here for each other, protect each other.”

“Yeah,” said Harry, bit calmer now. “I think I just need to sleep. Snape said I should try clearing my mind every night.”

“Okay, come on, I’ll take you upstairs,” smiled Cedric and they left the kitchens.

They were still holding hands, Harry realised, but Cedric didn’t let go until they were in front of the portrait of the Fat Lady. Then Cedric hugged Harry tightly again and they stood there for a while looking at each other.

“Goodnight, Harry,” Cedric said.

“Goodnight,” said Harry and something shifted inside him. He decided to be brave. He stood on his toes and kissed Cedric on his cheek. He immediately went completely red but Cedric just smiled at him kindly.

Harry then climbed through the portrait hole and found Ron and Hermione. He told them he was going to go straight to bed and then went to the dormitory. As soon as he stepped into the dormitory, however, he was in terrible pain. His scar was bursting. He heard laughter in his ears. He didn’t know where he was or what was happening. Then someone hit him around the face.

“Harry! HARRY!” shouted Ron and Harry finally opened his eyes.

The laughter was coming out of his mouth and as soon as he realised it, it stopped. He was lying on the ground and Ron was looking at him, very worried.

“What happened?” he said.

“I ... dunno ...” Harry gasped, sitting up again. “He’s really happy ... really happy ...”

He was shaking again and Ron helped him to sit down on his bed. He was glad that no one else was here yet. Harry didn’t say much more, he just went to sleep, but he was very worried and he could imagine Ron was too. _Merlin, he must be terrified of me, finding me laughing manically on the floor,_ he thought.

The next day it was clear what Voldemort was so happy about. They were reading the _Daily Prophet_ at breakfast and it was horrifying. There has been a breakout from the Azkaban prison. The Ministry blamed the breakout on Sirius, of course. Harry was feeling sick, he could not eat at all. Hermione left them to send a letter after breakfast and Harry walked with Ron out of the Great Hall. They ran into Hagrid who looked a bit down. He told them he was on probation, which only dampened both Harry and Ron’s moods.

The mood in the whole school was rather sour. The teachers obviously couldn’t talk freely to each other either. Care of Magical Creatures and Divination was now constantly observed by Umbridge. Hagrid grew very distant with them because he didn’t want to put them in any more trouble. The only thing that gave Harry any form of satisfaction was the DA meetings. His lessons with Snape were not improving at all, Harry felt it was only getting worse. His scar now never stopped hurting either so it was hard to concentrate on anything. Harry didn’t go see Madam Pomfrey yet either because he felt there was really no point. Although both Ron and Hermione urged him to go. He hasn’t talked to Cedric much either as the boy was consumed with studying once again. Harry joined him several times in the library and they would talk here and there but he saw Cedric getting all fidgety with stress again. He didn’t want to worry him any further.

January ended quickly and suddenly it was February. The Hogsmeade trip was approaching and Harry was glad that there was at least this small prospect of freedom.

“Er ... so since you’re going to Hogsmeade with Cedric on Valentine’s day,” said Ron as they were alone in the dormitory, “maybe I should ask Hermione.”

“I thought we were all going together,” said Harry.

“Harry, Cedric asked you specifically,” chuckled Ron, “stop being so dense.”

“So, what, it’s not like a date,” stammered Harry.

“I’m pretty sure it is,” said Ron.

“Oh,” Harry blushed.

“Yes, oh,” laughed Ron. “So, do you think I should ask Hermione?”

“On a date?”

“I don’t know, maybe?”

“Sure,” smiled Harry.

“Isn’t it going to be weird for you?”

“No,” said Harry. “If anything, I’d be relieved. This game you guys are playing has been going on for too long.”

“You’re the one to talk,” laughed Ron.

“So what happened on New Year’s?” asked Harry. “You guys were pretty weird when I came to sit with you.”

“Oh,” said Ron and went all red. “I think she wanted me to kiss her at midnight. And I was about to. But then Fred and George saw, I think, so they sent a jinx at me, and I sneezed at her instead.”

Harry burst out laughing.

“It was horrifying,” said Ron. “I’m glad you came to sit with us because we just stared at each other and it was weird.”

“Oh my God,” laughed Harry. “Fred and George really need to get another hobby.”

“Yeah,” chuckled Ron. “But we haven’t talked about it since. You know what she’s like. Always focused on school or whatever else she’s doing.”

“Yeah, I know,” said Harry. “Cedric kissed me on New Year’s. Well, he kissed my cheek,” he confessed.

“What? And you haven’t told us?”

“I was confused,” shrugged Harry.

“So, what happened after?”

“Nothing,” said Harry. “You know after my first Occlumency lesson? He walked me to the Gryffindor Tower and I kissed his cheek too,” he was blushing now. “But we haven’t talked about it or anything.”

“Harry, how you could not think that you’re going on a date then?” chuckled Ron. “You’re basically dating already. Don’t think we haven’t noticed how you hold hands every time you have the opportunity.”

“I ... well ... er ...,” stuttered Harry.

“Just promise me that when you start dating you won’t forget about me.”

“Never,” said Harry. “You’re the one thing I’ll sorely miss, remember?” he laughed.

The next day Ron asked Hermione to go to Hogsmeade with him and she looked unfazed by it.

“Well, of course, we’ll go together, Ronald, since Harry has a date,” she said.

“Er ... no ... well ... I meant that we could go on a date too,” Ron said very quietly.

“Oh,” said Hermione and she blushed a little bit. “Alright.”

Ron grinned at Harry and Harry just chuckled.

But as the Hogsmeade trip was approaching it turned out that Ron couldn’t go. Angelina wanted the Gryffindor Quidditch team to train all day since they were terrible. Ron was quite upset. When he apologised to Hermione, he looked like a beaten puppy. Hermione assured him that it was okay that she had some things to do in Hogsmeade anyway. When Ron looked very sad, she added that they could go another time. That seemed to cheer him up a little bit and they didn’t bring the matter up any further.

Harry was slowly dreading the Hogsmeade trip. It was better when he was under the impression that it wasn’t a date. Which he still was not sure it was. But still, he felt very under pressure suddenly. _It’s fine, it’s just Cedric, you don’t have to pretend anything,_ he thought to himself. But he still couldn’t stop worrying about it. _What are we going to talk about,_ he thought, even though they always had something to talk about. He felt very sick and nervous the day before Valentine’s day, he only saw Cedric briefly during the meals in the Great Hall and he always seemed busy with schoolwork. He smiled at him during dinner but that was their whole interaction and when Harry went to sleep later, he lied awake in his bed for a long time.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading!
> 
> I'm glad I could give Harry nice holidays, I hope you enjoyed this chapter. Things are starting to pick up.


	14. Anxious but still a rebel

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Hogsmeade is nice, Umbridge is a bitch. Nothing's changed. Or has it?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay, so posting bit later than usual, sorry about that, my life doesn't have an consistency so I never know when I have time or not.  
> Thank you so much for the responses so far, it's always so nice to read what you think and see that people like it :)
> 
> Enjoy!

The next day Harry spent a long time getting ready. But no matter how much he tried he still felt that he looked terrible. He tried to flatten his hair but it was no use as it was sticking in every direction. _Well, this is the best it can get, I guess_ , he thought and headed to breakfast. Hermione asked him over breakfast to meet her in the Three Broomsticks later because she had something important to discuss.

“Well, Cedric never said what we were going to do, so I guess I can come to see you,” said Harry uncertainly.

“Just bring him with you, it actually works for the best,” Hermione said. “But it’s important that you come.”

“Alright,” Harry agreed.

After breakfast, Harry walked out of the Great Hall and Cedric was waiting for him by the entrance. He looked very handsome, as usual, and Harry was way too aware of his body and how stupid his arms must look swinging at his sides.

“Hey,” smiled Cedric. “Ready to go?”

“Hi, er .. yeah, let’s go,” said Harry slightly nervously.

They joined the people who were queuing to get signed out by Filch. There was silence between them but it wasn’t awkward. Harry actually felt quite comfortable. It was no different from any other time they would hang out together. On their way to Hogsmeade, they ran into a group of Slytherin girls that started snickering.

“Urgh, so it’s true, isn’t it?” screeched Pansy. “What did you give Diggory, Potter? Do you keep serving him love potion for breakfast?”

The girls sped up, laughing on their way and pointing at them. Harry was completely red and didn’t know what to say.

“Don’t mind them,” said Cedric and Harry just nodded, pretending he wasn’t bothered at all.

“So … where do you want to go?” Harry asked then.

“I thought we could just look in the shops and then we’ll see,” smiled Cedric.

“Okay. Er … Hermione wants to meet us later in Three Broomsticks if that’s okay.”

“Hm … okay,” said Cedric but it sounded a bit strange.

“It’s just that she has something important to tell me … you know what she’s like. Plus she’s alone here today, Ron couldn’t come,” said Harry quickly.

“It’s okay, Harry,” Cedric smiled.

They walked into several shops, Cedric needed some writing supplies and Harry bought some too, just in case. They also went to Honeydukes where Cedric insisted that he would pay for Harry’s sweets, which made Harry incredibly flushed. Cedric also brought his camera with him and snapped a few pictures of Harry, which Harry pretended he was very annoyed at. It was easy to be with Cedric, they constantly had things to talk about and even when they didn’t it was nice. But Harry was still unsure of what he should do. When they passed several students who were obviously on a date in the village, Harry noticed that they were holding hands, some of them very discreetly (some less discreetly) making out in secluded corners. Harry suddenly felt a wave of pressure. _Should I hold Cedric’s hand? But is this really a date? Should I act like I’m on a date? How do people act on a date?_ He felt like he had to keep up with the people around them but he also felt very uncomfortable in doing so. They walked more through the village and they ran into Cho with Roger Davies, the Ravenclaw Quidditch Captain. They were holding hands and Cho smiled at Harry and Cedric when they came up to her.

“Hi,” she said.

“Hi, Cho,” said Cedric. “Another Quidditch Captain? You have a type, I see,” he chuckled and Cho grinned. Roger looked a bit uncomfortable and so did Harry, but then Harry was almost always uncomfortable.

“Hm, you’re the one to talk. Seeking seekers, are we?” she winked and Harry blushed even more. “Roger and I are going to Madam Puddifoot’s if you guys want to join us for a coffee,” she added. Harry really hoped they wouldn’t. Not that he didn’t like Cho. But the fact of crashing other people’s date would only make him feel more under pressure.

“Thanks for the offer,” said Cedric, “but I think we’ll pass. Maybe next time,” he smiled and Harry felt so relieved. Roger looked also like a burden was lifted off his shoulders.

“Your loss,” she grinned and then she and Roger walked away, hand in hand. “Enjoy your date, losers!”

“You too!” Cedric called after her with a laugh.

Cedric then walked Harry to Three Broomsticks. It was still quite early to meet Hermione and she wasn’t there yet. Harry stayed quiet, still feeling slightly uncomfortable. They sat at an empty table in the corner of the pub.

“Butterbeer?” asked Cedric.

“Uh … yeah … but I can get it,” blabbered Harry.

“I’ll get it, it’s no problem,” smiled Cedric and left to order.

Harry was left alone at the table. Oh _my God, what am I doing? Why can’t I act normal? He’s perfectly nice to you, of course, he is, and you’re just standing there like the Whomping Willow_. Harry’s mind was racing but luckily, Cedric returned quite soon. He put a butterbeer in front of Harry and sat down next to him with his own.

“So … when is Hermione coming?” he asked.

“I dunno … she said midday … so I reckon it’s still early,” Harry shrugged. “Thanks for the butterbeer,” he mumbled and took a sip.

“Are you feeling okay?” asked Cedric. “You’ve been acting bit stranger than usual.”

“Um, yeah … I’m fine,” Harry lied and Cedric eyed him. “It’s just … er … is this … is this a date?” he stuttered nervously.

“Er … if you want it to be,” Cedric chuckled.

“What?”

“I meant this to be a date,” said Cedric and blushed. “But I wasn’t quite sure how comfortable you’d be with it. So … I just wanted to take it easy … and … see how you feel,” he mumbled and stared at his butterbeer.

“Oh,” said Harry.

“Oh?” chuckled Cedric. “Is that all you’re going to say?”

“I … I don’t know,” mumbled Harry. He was quiet for a while but then he decided to take Cedric’s hand.

“Look,” said Cedric. “I like you, obviously. But if you’re not comfortable with this, that’s okay. I don’t want you to feel like you’re obligated to do something or whatever.”

“It’s not that,” said Harry. “I … er … I wanted this to happen for a long time. But now that it is, I’m not quite sure what to do.”

“Well, you don’t have to do anything. I just … I don’t know … wanted us to be on the same page,” shrugged Cedric.

“Er … I’m a bit slow and dense when it comes to this,” said Harry.

“I noticed,” chuckled Cedric.

“Shut up, I’m trying to say something,” Harry laughed. “If Fred didn’t tell me I had a crush on you on your birthday party it would probably take me much longer to figure out. But then it just made sense. And … er … I know that whenever I was with you … everything just seemed easier,” he said and blushed. “And before there was constantly this question ‘how do you know you like someone’ and I didn’t know how to answer. But now I don’t have to answer because I know I like you.”

Harry was still looking at his butterbeer when he finished saying this. It was quiet for a moment and then he looked up at Cedric who was looking at him very fondly. There was a soft smile on his face and Harry felt himself blushing even harder if that was even possible.

“I wanted to tell you at Christmas already,” said Cedric. “But then so many things happened and I didn’t want you to have to deal with something else on top of that.”

He then took Harry’s hand that he was holding closer to his face and then kissed over his knuckles. Harry felt his heart beating fast and he didn’t know what to do or say.

“I’m not going to rush you into anything,” Cedric said with a smile. “But you also need to tell me what you want.”

“I know,” said Harry quietly. “And I ... I want this,” he smiled up at Cedric.

“Good,” said Cedric and sat closer to Harry.

It was at that moment when Hermione came in and walked over to their table. She was joined by Rita Skeeter and Luna Lovegood, a bit unusual company for the girl. Harry immediately felt more uncomfortable and moved himself to be a bit further from Cedric. He looked at the boy apologetically and Cedric just gave him a reassuring smile.

“You guys are early here,” Hermione said as they sat down.

“Ooh, are we interrupting something?” said Rita Skeeter and Hermione shushed her.

As it turned out Hermione planned for Harry to give an interview that would be published in _The Quibbler_. Harry agreed, even though he was not that bothered anymore what people believed and didn’t. But he supposed it was a good idea. The interview went quite well. Harry told them all of the details about the graveyard. Cedric, who was holding his hand under the table the whole time, said his side too.

“So you don’t feel like you’ve been pressured into this in some way?” Rita asked Cedric. “By Dumbledore and the famous Harry Potter?”

“No,” said Cedric. “I told you what happened from my side and that’s exactly what happened. I’m not really in contact with Dumbledore, the only one that I keep talking to about the event is Madam Pomfrey. If you’re worried about the state of my mind like everyone else, you can go ask her.”

“Hm,” grunted Rita. “And what is your relation to Harry? It seemed you were quite close during the Tournament and this traumatic event must have brought you even closer.”

Hermione gave her a very cool glare that Rita ignored.

“Harry and I are ...,” Cedric hesitated. “We’re friends.”

“Friends, huh?” she scoffed. “Is that all?”

“This is not relevant to the interview,” said Hermione coldly and Rita rolled her eyes but didn’t ask any further.

After it was over Cedric and Harry slowly walked back to Hogwarts together. When they walked out of Hogsmeade, Cedric took Harry’s hand and intertwined their fingers.

“Sorry I told her we were just friends,” said Cedric. “I assumed you wouldn’t want to be telling people.”

“Yeah, I didn’t want to tell her,” replied Harry. “But I don’t mind telling people that we’re ... er ...”

“Dating? I mean ... if that’s what you want.”

“No, yeah, it’s ... it’s nice,” Harry smiled. “I can be someone’s boyfriend,” he chuckled.

“Hm, lucky me,” smiled Cedric.

They walked to dinner together and sat by the Gryffindor table where they found Ron. He looked pretty beaten up after the Quidditch practice.

“Where’s Hermione?” he asked.

“Oh, she needed to sort something out with Skeeter but I think she wasn’t far behind us,” said Harry.

“Skeeter? Rita Skeeter?” asked Ron.

“Oh yeah, Hermione arranged an interview for us,” said Harry.

“Mainly Harry,” added Cedric.

“It’s going to be published in _the Quibbler_ ,” continued Harry.

“And it’s written by Skeeter?” said Ron surprised.

“Yeah, but I think it’s going to be really good. Hermione had her under control,” said Harry.

“Wow, that’s cool,” Ron grinned at them. “So how was Hogsmeade otherwise?”

“It was ... good,” Harry blushed.

“It was,” smiled Cedric, “but I do need to catch up on some studying now.”

“You need to learn how to relax,” said Harry.

“I relaxed all day,” said Cedric. “I need to do at least a little bit tonight.”

“Sometimes I wonder if you and Hermione are related,” chuckled Ron.

“There’s nothing wrong with being responsible, Ronald,” said Hermione who just came in and sat down next to Ron.

“No, but there is a healthy amount and then there’s you two,” said Ron and Harry chuckled.

“Well, and there’s a healthy amount of eating and then there’s you two,” said Hermione. “It looks like you decided to eat for Harry too.”

“What? I had a hard day,” said Ron as he dug into his plate that was flooded with food.

“I think I’m going to go to the library for a bit,” said Cedric. “I need to get this book and I’m going to work on some homework, it’s not going to be busy there now.”

“I’ll ... er ... I’ll come with you,” said Harry. “I’ll see you guys later.”

They walked to the library. Cedric was right there was almost no one. Everyone was either still at Hogsmeade or dinner. Harry went to find them a table while Cedric searched for his book. He came back with three huge books, which made Harry chuckle a little bit. Harry didn’t bring any homework to do but he had his book on Occlumency that he started reading. He really just wanted to watch Cedric study. There was something so vulnerable about it that Harry enjoyed. He also wanted to make sure that Cedric was not going to overdo it. After some time, Harry was pretty bored with the book so he took Cedric’s camera out of his bag and snapped a picture of Cedric studying.

“Hey,” Cedric grinned. “Not fair.”

“You have plenty of my pictures from today, I think I deserve one of you,” snickered Harry and put the photo in his book. “This way there’s going to be at least something nice when I open this book.”

“Hm, how charming,” chuckled Cedric.

“I know,” smiled Harry. “But it’s getting a bit late, you should save something for tomorrow.”

“Are you going to be a bad influence on me now?”

“As if I wasn’t before,” Harry grinned.

“You’re lucky you’re so adorable,” said Cedric and Harry instantly blushed. “Alright, let’s go, I’ll walk you upstairs.”

Cedric packed his things and borrowed the three additional books and then they walked up to the Gryffindor Tower. Harry took Cedric’s hand on their way, feeling pretty good about himself that he was able to do that now without feeling guilty. They walked to the portrait of the Fat Lady and stopped.

“Well, thanks for a great day,” said Harry.

“Thank _you_ ,” smiled Cedric.

They stared at each other for a moment, still holding hands.

“So, goodnight, then,” said Harry but didn’t move.

“Yes ... er ... goodnight” stuttered Cedric and didn’t let go of Harry’s hand either.

“I better go then,” said Harry.

“Yes ... before you go, though,” said Cedric nervously. “Can I ... er ... can I kiss you?”

“Yes,” said Harry and looked up at him.

Cedric leaned in slowly. Harry closed his eyes as he was not quite sure what to do. The kiss was very gentle and ended too quickly. Harry never kissed anyone before so he didn’t know how to react. When his body caught up with the new sensation, Cedric was already slowly pulling away. Harry then wasted no time, he stood on his toes and put his hands around Cedric’s neck and his lips met him for a second kiss. This time he was more sure of himself and more aware of what was happening. It felt like everything inside of him was exploding like his whole life was leading up to this moment. And Harry suddenly didn’t know why on Earth they didn’t do this sooner.

“Thank you,” said Cedric when they pulled apart.

“What are you thanking me for?” chuckled Harry.

“For letting me do this. It was your first kiss so that’s pretty special.”

“You are pretty special,” smiled Harry.

Cedric just leaned in to give him a small last peck.

“Goodnight then,” he said.

“Goodnight,” smiled Harry and climbed through the portrait to the common room.

Ron and Hermione were already there, sitting in a corner together. Hermione was, of course, doing some homework, and Ron just seemed to be staring into his notes, pretending to be reading them. Harry walked up to them. He was very aware of the fact that he still had a very stupid smile on his face but he couldn’t get rid of it.

“There you are!” said Ron who looked relieved Harry was back. “Want to play some chess?”

“Sure,” Harry nodded and they started playing.

“So,” said Hermione and looked up from her book. “Will you tell us about your date?”

“Er .... it was ... good,” said Harry.

“Mate, you’ve been smiling like an idiot, that date was not just good,” chuckled Ron.

“What happened?” asked Hermione. “Where did you go to Hogsmeade?”

“Just some shops,” said Harry. “Then we ran into Cho with Roger Davies and she invited us to join them but we didn’t. Which was a relief. I felt a bit pressured around all these couples like I had to play a certain role, I don’t know.”

“Did you tell Cedric that?” asked Hermione.

“Not completely. But we did have a talk in Three Broomsticks before you came,” he said. “We both said what we felt and what we wanted. And Cedric said he was going to take it slow since I’m not really comfortable with much. It makes me feel a bit fragile, to be honest, which I don’t really like. But I’m also glad he said it.”

“I’m proud of you,” smiled Hermione. “And it doesn’t make you fragile. People are different, Harry, and it’s okay to have boundaries. Especially when it’s your first relationship and everything is new.”

“Yeah, I suppose.”

“So you’re boyfriends now then,” smirked Ron. “Did you make out?”

“Ronald!” Hermione punched him in the shoulder.

“What? Isn’t that what we want to know?” he chuckled. “So did you?”

“We kissed, yeah,” Harry mumbled and felt himself going red again. “Just now before I came in.”

“How was it?” asked Ron.

“It was ... nice,” said Harry. “Actually it was really nice,” he smiled dreamily.

“Oh my, Diggory is not just a pretty face then,” Ron laughed.

“Shut up,” chuckled Harry. “How was Quidditch practise?” he asked then.

“Tiring,” grunted Ron. “We’re the worst team ever, I should’ve never joined.”

“You’re not bad, Ron,” Harry said. “And if you stop thinking that you’re bad and think about the game instead, you might actually prove everyone that you’re good.”

“I guess,” said Ron but didn’t sound convinced.

They continued playing the game of chess and when Ron won for the third time in a row, they decided it was time to go to sleep. Harry hasn’t felt this good in a long time.

The next day was Monday so the usual classes resumed. Harry only had time to share a shy smile with Cedric during breakfast when the boy waved at him from the Hufflepuff table. Then he hadn’t seen him until dinner. Cedric came to sit with them at the Gryffindor table again and shoved more food on Harry’s plate. Luna told them earlier that she was not sure when the article would come out but Harry wasn’t too bothered about it. It was done and he could do nothing for now. They spoke about it over dinner with the others as well. Dean and Neville were both excited about it. Seamus didn’t say anything but Harry knew he was listening. Ron and Ginny joined them after their Quidditch practice and they both looked defeated. Apparently, the team is not doing that great, so both Ron and Ginny were not in the greatest mood. They both left after dinner to get clean.

“Well, I got to go do my homework, see you tomorrow,” said Cedric as they finished dinner. He kissed Harry’s cheek and then left. Harry was still blushing as they made their way to the Gryffindor Tower.

Harry and Hermione worked on their own homework in the common room when Fred and George joined them. They discussed Ron and Ginny and the Gryffindor Quidditch team that has been an absolute disaster.

“You know,” said Fred. “Quidditch was about the only thing in this place worth staying for.”

Hermione cast him a stern look.

“You’ve got exams coming!”

“We’re not really fussed about the N.E.W.T.,” shrugged George.

They all knew that the twins were working hard on their product and were planning to open their shop as soon as they left school. Hermione, much like Mrs Weasley, didn’t approve of them leaving school behind.

“Well, now that Harry’s taken there’s even less reason for me to stay,” said Fred dramatically as he sat next to Harry.

“Er, what?” Harry blinked.

“Aw, I’m only teasing you,” winked Fred.

“I didn’t know news travelled this fast,” said Harry. He didn’t mind people knew but it was a bit surprising. He didn’t want to go around telling people because as far as he was concerned it was no one’s business. But if they noticed, they noticed.

“Concerning you?” smirked George. “But don’t worry, Fred is just obsessed with you.”

“What?” Harry asked with a blush.

“I’m not obsessed,” protested Fred. “I’m just a bit jealous,” he laughed.

“What?” said Harry again, still confused and the twins burst out laughing.

“It’s easy to tease you, Harry,” chuckled Fred. “But I’m happy for you, Pretty-Boy Diggory is a good kisser.”

“What?” Harry repeated now completely red.

“Fred, leave him alone already, will you?” chuckled George. “Relax, Harry, he’s just teasing you.”

“But ... er ... how do you?” Harry stuttered.

“They snogged in the fourth year when we played spin the bottle in the Hufflepuff common room,” explained George.

“Oh,” said Harry, not sure how to react.

“There are not many boys left in Hogwarts that Fred didn’t snog, so don’t worry too much about it Harry,” said George.

“Hey, you’re making it sound like I’m easy,” said Fred.

“Not easy, dear brother, just ... er ... available?” smirked George.

“Same difference,” said Fred.

“Not like it’s a bad thing,” shrugged George.

“I think that’s enough of that,” said Hermione who was quiet for the whole conversation.

“Yeah ... er ... we need to do our homework,” said Harry.

“Aw, George we scared the kids,” said Fred.

“Come on, Freddie, I bet you five galleons you can’t snog Filch,” chuckled George.

“Ha, Filch is obsessed with me, didn’t you notice how he’s following us around all the time? He definitely has a crush on me,” laughed Fred and then the twins ran out of the common room.

“That was ...,” stuttered Harry.

“Obscure?” said Hermione.

“Yeah,” chuckled Harry.

“You don’t feel bad about it, do you?”

“No, it’s just fun isn’t it?” smiled Harry. “I just wish I could be this open and careless.”

Soon, Ron and Ginny returned but were so tired that they went straight to bed. Harry and Hermione finished their homework not long after that and went to sleep too. The rest of the week was busy again. They went to classes and did their homework most of the time. Harry and Cedric shared few smiles and kisses on the cheek during mealtimes but Cedric was in his studying mode most of the time or busy with Quidditch practice.

On Saturday, Gryffindor played against Hufflepuff. Harry was, of course, hoping that Gryffindor would win (although there was not much chance) and he wanted to support his friends. But Cedric looked so good on his broom it made Harry blush and he couldn’t keep his eyes off him. The game itself was quite short. Ron was not doing that great, he was doing terribly, actually. By some miracle, Gryffindor lost only by ten points because Ginny managed to catch the snitch. Although it was quite close between her and Cedric.

“That was a good catch,” said Harry once they were in the common room. “You did great too, of course,” he told Cedric who joined them.

“It was excellent,” Cedric beamed at Ginny. “You’re really good!”

“I got lucky,” she shrugged. “You were distracted by the bludger and the Snitch was slow.”

“You were still great,” said Cedric. “Well, I have to go, we’re celebrating in our common room. Do you want to come too?” he asked Harry.

“No, I think I’ll stay and ... er ... ,” he looked over at Ron who was sitting in the corner looking miserable.

“Of course,” smiled Cedric.

“I’ll walk you out,” said Harry and walked Cedric out of the common room. “You were really good,” he said once they were outside.

“Thanks,” Cedric smiled and blushed.

“Well, enjoy your party,” said Harry and then stood on his toes, tugged Cedric down to him and gave him a soft kiss. When they leapt apart, Cedric was smiling down at him.

“See you later then,” he said and then left.

Harry returned back to the common room. Ron was already in the dormitory and when Harry went up there, it didn’t look like he wanted to talk about it. Harry wanted to help him somehow but the best thing to do at the moment was probably to give him space. Harry himself missed Quidditch and it was hard to watch the game when he couldn’t play. And the satisfied smile on Umbridge’s toad-face was unnerving. He tried to empty his mind after that like Snape told him during every failed Occlumency lesson, and then he fell asleep. He had the same dream again, as he walked through the dark corridor and tried to reach the door at the end of it.

Harry tried to talk to Ron on Sunday but it was no use. Ron clearly didn’t want to discuss it and said they should focus on their homework. Which was disturbing itself. Hermione gave Ron some of her notes without even being asked and Harry could tell that she too was struggling to talk to him.

“Just give him some time,” said Cedric when Harry sat with him for dinner at the Hufflepuff table.

“Yeah, I just wish I could help him,” sighed Harry.

“I know,” said Cedric and put more food on Harry’s plate. “But now you have to eat.”

“You know I can never eat this much even if I wanted to,” said Harry with a smile. “Besides, you can stop putting food on my plates, I’ve been pretty good with food lately, right?”

“I know,” said Cedric. “I just care about you a lot.”

Harry just smiled at that and continued eating. He was unable to eat everything Cedric put on his plate but he ate quite a bit. After dinner, they walked out of the Great Hall together hand in hand.

“I’m going to go to the library for a bit before bed,” said Cedric.

“You’ve been there all day.”

“I know, but I have so much to do.”

“Okay, I’ll go with you,” said Harry.

“You don’t have to, it’s boring, I’ll just study.”

“I know,” said Harry. “But as it happens, I care a lot about you too and don’t want you to overdo it.”

Cedric kissed him.

On Monday morning Harry was surprised when an unknown owl found him with a letter. It was the new issue of _The Quibbler_ with his shy face on its cover.

“It’s good, isn’t it?” said Luna as she sat down with them at the Gryffindor table. “It came out yesterday, I asked Dad to send you a free copy. I expect all these,” she waved a hand at the assembled owls scrabbling around on the table in front of Harry, “are letters from readers.”

Ron and Hermione both started opening the letters to have a look. A lot of them were quite nasty but there were some that said they believed him. _Well, at least some people are convinced,_ Harry thought. It did have consequences, of course. When Umbridge saw, she banned Harry from going to Hogsmeade, took away points from Gryffindor and gave him a week of detention again. When she saw Cedric participated in the interview, she did the same for him. By mid-morning, there were signs everywhere that forbid everyone from reading _the Quibbler._ Hermione was pleased about that because according to her, this would make definitely people read it. _Well, she’s not the one who has detention_ , Harry couldn’t help thinking angrily but pushed the thought aside. But she was right. By the end of the day, the whole school seemed to be quoting the interview. And it seemed more and more people believed him. Even some teachers found a way to show Harry they were with him, of course very carefully as they could not express they read it in front of Umbridge. What made Harry relieved also was Seamus who started talking to him again and said he believed him too. By the end f the day so many people were coming up to Harry to talk to him that his head started hurting so he called it an early night and went to bed.

He had a nightmare. Or vision. He was in a dark room, talking to someone who appeared to be called Rookwood. When the man called Rookwood left, Harry looked in the mirror. His face was whiter than a skull, his eyes red with slits for pupils.

“NOOOOO!” Harry screamed.

He fell out of his bed and Ron was immediately at his side. Harry was tangled in the hangings from the bed and he was madly trying to entangle himself, still dazed from his dream. Ron calmed him down and helped him out of the hangings. Ron helped him to sit down on his bed and Harry was counting in his head to even out his breathing. Ron asked him if anyone’s been attacked and Harry shook his head.

“Did you see You-Know-Who?” Ron asked.

“I _was_ You-Know-Who,” said Harry sounding very terrified.

“You should tell someone.”

“No, I’m supposed to be able to shut this stuff out,” Harry said. “If I was any good at Occlumency, I wouldn’t see it at all. And that’s what Dumbledore wants.”

There was bitterness in the last sentence.

“Should I get Cedric at least?” Ron asked.

“No, no,” said Harry. “It’s late.”

“But –“

“I’ll talk to him tomorrow, I promise,” said Harry.

“Okay,” Ron agreed reluctantly.

They told Hermione and Cedric about Harry’s nightmare the next morning over breakfast.

“I didn’t hear the whole conversation,” said Harry, “but Rookwood probably told Voldemort how to get the weapon.”

“But you shouldn’t have seen this at all, Harry,” Hermione frowned. “You’re supposed to learn how to close your mind to this sort of thing.”

“I know I am,” said Harry. “But –“

“Well I think we should try and forget what you saw,” said Hermione firmly. “And you ought to put in a bit more effort on your Occlumency from now on.”

“Are you feeling okay?” asked Cedric when they were leaving the Great Hall.

“Yeah,” sighed Harry. “She’s right. I should be trying harder.”

“Maybe you would be if you weren’t taught by Snape of all people,” shrugged Cedric. “I wish I was any good at it myself so I could help you.”

“Don’t worry about it,” smiled Harry. “I have to get to classes, I’ll see you later,” he said gave Cedric a chaste kiss on his cheek and then left.

Harry tried really hard not to think about his dream anymore but it was no use. In one of his lessons with Snape, the dream arose again and Snape saw it. Snape, of course, only called Harry lazy and uncooperative and other things. Harry couldn’t take it anymore and when Snape was going through his mind again, he cast _Protego_. That made him see Snape as a teenager and it wasn’t the happiest vision. Snape looked shaken afterwards and Harry was afraid to say anything. But Snape only said that the Shielding Charm was effective and then continued with his lesson. Then he was in the same corridor in his mind once again. This time, however, he managed to open the doors at the end of it. There were more doors surrounding him and he wanted to open the right ones but then he was shaken out of it by Snape who was very displeased with him.

Their lesson was interrupted by a scream that came from the Entrance Hall. When Harry reached it, it was packed with students. It was Professor Trelawney. She was getting fired, apparently. Umbridge was looking utterly satisfied as she told sobbing Trelawney to pack her things and leave the grounds. It was interrupted by Dumbledore who took the smile away from Umbridge when he decided that Professor Trelawney was allowed to keep living in Hogwarts. He also told Umbridge that he already found a new Divination teacher and then he introduced her to Firenze, the centaur that Harry was already familiar with. Harry wished that he would have taken a picture of Umbridge’s face at that moment.

Harry caught up with Cedric after everyone was leaving the Entrance Hall to get back to their business.

“Well, that was ... eventful,” Cedric said.

“Yeah.”

“How was your lesson with Snape?”

“Not the best,” said Harry. “But I’m used to it by now. How are you getting on?”

“Okay,” shrugged Cedric but there was something strange about him.

“You sure?”

“Yeah.”

“I don’t believe you,” Harry eyed him. “Come on, let’s talk somewhere,” and he took Cedric’s hand and they walked up to the Room of Requirement.

“What’s wrong?” asked Harry as they sat on a couch together.

“It’s just ...” Cedric mumbled and played with the hem of his shirt. “My parents wrote to me about the article.”

“Oh ... what did they say?”

“Well first I got a letter from my mum,” said Cedric. “She said that she was proud of you and me too for doing it ... but that ... er ... she wasn’t sure it was the wisest step. She said she understood why we needed to do it. And then ... she warned me that Dad wasn’t too happy and that I should expect to hear from him soon.”

“Oh,” Harry grew instantly uncomfortable at the mention of Cedric’s dad. Even though he wasn’t as unwelcoming to Harry as before he could still tell that the man wasn’t too fond of him. And he hated being the one to come between Cedric and his dad.

“It wasn’t a Howler, luckily,” said Cedric. “He probably didn’t want to embarrass me. But it wasn’t good. He said that I should put the energy into studying for my N.E.W.T.s and that I pretty much destroyed the good chances I had of being employable by the Ministry and pretty much anyone. Said that you were a terrible influence on me and that I’m not trying hard enough. That sometimes we have to swallow our pride to see the bigger picture and endure whatever is happening at the moment.”

“That’s a load of bullshit,” said Harry angrily. “Wait ... did you tell your parents about us?”

“Not yet,” sighed Cedric. “I wanted to but now I think it’s not the best time.”

“You don’t believe him, do you?” asked Harry. “You know, with you not trying hard enough and everything. Because you’re the most hard-working person I know.”

“I ... I don’t know,” Cedric admitted. “He just wants the best for me, I know it. And I know that he has this vision in his head of me and him working in the Ministry together.”

“Well ... do you want to do that?”

“Hm? I don’t know. I haven’t thought about it much. It was kind of what was always decided for me, I guess.”

“But what would you want to do after Hogwarts?”

“I don’t know. I don’t think I want to work for the Ministry when it’s in the state it’s in,” said Cedric. “I think ... I’d like to work with plants or animals.”

“That would suit you better than some boring office job,” smiled Harry. “You should do that.”

“I don’t know.”

“Hey, I’m sure your dad is not going to stop loving you just because you’ll do something else. It’s not like you’re a terrible son or something.”

“I guess,” shrugged Cedric. “Sorry, it feels stupid to complain about to you.”

“It’s not stupid,” said Harry. “Sometimes I think I should be more like my dad just to please Sirius.”

“Yeah, I noticed that.”

“But that doesn’t mean that Sirius will stop loving me when I’m less like my dad,” said Harry suddenly realising it himself too.

“That’s true,” smiled Cedric. “Thank you.”

“No problem,” said Harry and hugged him.

They were cuddled on the couch together for a while. Harry could feel Cedric’s heartbeat. It was so calm that he was almost dozing off. Then Cedric planted a kiss on his hair and said: “I’m so glad I didn’t die.”

And it did sound a bit morbid but Harry could understand the realization Cedric had now. He knew how much Cedric thought from time to time that perhaps, he should’ve died on that graveyard. And for Harry to hear him say this now felt very intimate in a way. He looked up at Cedric and kissed him.

“I’m glad too,” he said simply.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Aw, Harry you sweet idiot :')
> 
> Thank you so much for reading! I'm not sure how much time it will take me to post the next chapter but I'm hoping it won't be as long as it was now.


	15. Curious Marauder

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Harry is being a bit dramatic, Cedric stresses too much and then there are some mayhems in the background caused by the Weasley twins. Just typical life at Hogwarts.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey, guys, thank you so much for the responses and kudos, again, it's so lovely!! :)  
> This update came out a bit later than I wanted but it's here! Also, if I don't lose my streak, I'll probably get the next update out soon, since I'm staying at home now due to this bitch Corona that decided to affect us all. Anyway, stay safe and enjoy! :)

The biggest news in Hogwarts in the next few days was Firenze teaching Divination. The news about Harry and Cedric spread quickly too, of course, but no one really paid it too much attention. There were some snarky comments here and there but it wasn’t too different from what Harry received daily. Plus, people were more interested in his Quibbler story than in who was Harry snogging. Harry wished he had some way to speak to Sirius and Remus about it all but he knew it was better not to risk anything. Nothing else changed really. They were busier and busier with studying as the days went by. Cedric was, of course, more and more stressed with each day but Harry managed to look out for him. Their relationship hasn’t changed much to what it was before they started dating but Harry got used to feeling content and safe around Cedric. They didn’t really have too much time to spend together but managed to talk to during meal times or study together. That was enough for Harry. He was actually glad because he didn’t feel like focusing on the relationship too much. The reason was that he knew he was going to overthink it too much.

Suddenly, it was April already and Cedric was so stressed that Harry went to Madam Pomfrey by himself to get a Calming Draught from her and made Cedric drink it. On the one hand, Harry wasn’t a fan of Cedric being so miserable but on the other, he did enjoy being the one taking care of him for a change. Because so far it was mostly Harry who was in distress. It was almost suspicious that he was in a good mood lately and most things were just working out for him. Cedric didn’t speak much to his parents yet. He sent them both a letter telling them that he was studying hard and that he is not regretting his decision to participate in the interview. He said it was better to speak to them in person anyway so it had to wait.

And of course, it was just too good to be true and something had to happen. They were having their last DA meeting before Easter and they were practising the Patronus Charm. It was a pretty calm lesson, not everyone was able to produce a Patronus yet but a lot of them were. So several silver animals were running around the room. Harry walked around watching other people’s Patronuses and looked at Cedric. Cedric had trouble summoning his Patronus, which Harry thought was due to the constant stress. He walked over to him to try and help.

“Everything alright?” he asked.

“Yeah,” sighed Cedric. “I just can’t quite get it,” he said and tried again. There were some wisps of silver coming out of his wand but that was all.

“But you’re doing it,” said Harry. “You’re basically almost there.”

“Hm, I don’t know,” said Cedric.

“Just keep trying, you’ll get it soon,” smiled Harry and squeezed Cedric’s hand.

“Thank you,” said Cedric and gave Harry a soft kiss on his cheek.

Harry then went around others to see if anyone needs any advice but their session was interrupted by Dobby, who appeared in the Room of Requirement to warn them about Umbridge. They were all trying to quickly run away. Harry was trying to escape but he was jinxed by Malfoy and taken to Dumbledore’s office by Umbridge. He was not sure what happened to the others, he just hoped they managed to escape. He just wanted to take it all on himself so the others would come out unharmed.

There were a lot of people in Dumbledore’s office. Harry denied being aware of breaking any school rules and then Umbridge brought their informant, who turned out to be Marietta – Cho’s friend. They were trying to get Marietta to speak but she was too distressed from the jinx Hermione put on anyone who said anything. In the end, the only thing that was confirmed was that they met only that day. Umbridge didn’t have any evidence for previous meetings. But then Umbridge presented the list of the members of the DA.

“Dumbledore’s Army, Cornelius,” said Dumbledore with a smile. “Not Potter’s Army. _Dumbledore’s Army.”_

Harry wanted to protest but Dumbledore didn’t let him. They wanted to take Dumbledore to the Ministry. Harry felt so angry and confused. And then it happened all too quickly. Dumbledore escaped and then Harry and Marietta were being escorted to their dormitories by Professor McGonagall.

The next day there were signs everywhere that informed everyone that Dolores Umbridge was named the new Headmaster. Harry was still feeling very angry and confused about it all but he had to go to classes. Cedric sat with him for breakfast in the morning and tried to talk to him but Harry wasn’t really in the mood.

“Are you feeling okay?” asked Cedric.

“No,” said Harry curtly.

“What happened?”

But Harry just shrugged. Cedric sighed and looked at Ron and Hermione for help but they only exchanged an awkward look with him.

“Okay,” Cedric sighed. “We’ll talk about it later.”

Harry just nodded and continued eating his breakfast, although he had little appetite. But he really didn’t want to be pestered about food too.

“I’ll see you later, okay,” said Cedric as they finished their breakfast and kissed Harry’s cheek before he left.

They were on their way to their classes when they got stopped by Malfoy. He was now apparently a member of something called the Inquisitorial Squad and took a lot of house points from them. Ron was ready to hurt Malfoy when he called Hermione a _Mudblood_ again but Hermione stopped him. They ignored Malfoy and went to classes after that.

When they were about to go to lunch they met Fred and George after and it seemed they were planning something. Something big.

“So anyway,” said Fred smiling, “phase one is about to begin. I’d get in the Great Hall for lunch, if I were you, that way the teachers will see you can’t have had anything to do with it.”

“Anything to do with what?” said Hermione anxiously.

“You’ll see,” said George. “Run along, now.”

Fred and George then turned and disappeared in the crowd. They were about to go to the Great Hall when Harry was stopped by Filch. _Honestly, what is it today?_

“The Headmistress would like to see you, Potter,” leered Filch.

“I didn’t do it,” said Harry stupidly. _Wow, well done, Harry, that’s smart._

He turned to Ron and Hermione who looked worried.

“We’ll see you later,” said Hermione.

Filch escorted Harry to Umbridge’s office. He sat down and she insisted on him having tea. Harry only pretended to drink it. She asked him where Dumbledore was and Harry said he didn’t know. Then she asked where Sirius was and Harry again said he didn’t know. Umbridge looked angry but didn’t push it any further. Their little meeting was interrupted by a loud bang. The office floor shook violently. Umbridge sent Harry to lunch and he hurried away.

There were enchanted fireworks everywhere. Dragons of green and gold sparks were soaring up and down the corridors, firecrackers were exploding like mines everywhere Harry looked. Umbridge and Filch were both attacked by some of the fireworks and it was a sight Harry would never forget. Harry laughed and ran to a door he knew was concealed behind a tapestry, where he found Fred and George hiding behind it.

“Impressive,” Harry said quietly, grinning. “Very impressive ... you’ll put Dr Filibuster out of business, no problem ...”

“Cheers,” whispered George, wiping tears of laughter from his face. “Oh I hope she tries Vanishing them next ... they multiply by ten every time you try.”

It was so funny. Professor Umbridge spent her first afternoon as Headmistress running all over the school answering the summonses of the other teachers, none of whom seemed able to rid their rooms of the fireworks without her. Fred and George were the heroes and everyone cheered when they entered the Gryffindor common room that night. Harry didn’t really have the chance to talk to Cedric more that day but he was determined to talk to him the next day. Even Hermione was cheerful and not at all pedantic as usual.

Harry was in such a good mood when he went to bed. But of course, in his dream, he was again in the Department of Mysteries, reaching out to the door at the end of the corridor. It opened. And then he opened another door. And there were rows of towering shelves, each laden with small, dusty, spun-glass spheres. Harry’s heart was beating fast with excitement and he was running. There was something he wanted...

He woke up to a loud bang. Everyone in the dormitory was laughing. It was another firework. They all went to look out of the windows and see. Harry’s scar was still hurting and then he remembered he had Occlumency the next day.

Harry was dreading Snape’s lesson the next day. He was just looking at his breakfast moodily when Cedric joined them at their table.

“What’s gotten your knickers in a twist?” asked Ron. “You were in such a good mood last night.”

“Huh?” Harry mumbled. “I’m fine.”

“You don’t look fine, honey,” said Cedric as he sat down.

“Don’t call me that,” Harry said courtly but he blushed a little bit.

“Okay,” sighed Cedric. “Do you want to tell us what’s wrong?”

“I just have Occlumency today, that’s all.”

“You were never this moody about it, mate,” said Ron. “I mean, yeah, it’s Snape, so it’s a pain but I thought you’ve got used to it by now.”

“It’s important, Harry,” said Hermione. “Remember that Dumbledore told you to study it hard. He surely knows what he’s doing.”

“Sure,” mumbled Harry. He decided he should not tell them about his dream, it would only make things worse.

“Come on, it’s not that bad,” smiled Cedric. “How about we meet in the kitchens afterwards and get some cake?” he said and put more food on Harry’s plate.

Harry just stared at his plate full of food now. Suddenly, he felt very overwhelmed and angry. _He’s treating you like a child,_ a thought crept into his mind. _They all think you need looking after, that you’re incapable of taking care of yourself._ He looked up and they were all watching him carefully. _I can take care of myself,_ he thought, _I just don’t want to. I don’t want to take care of myself and I don’t want anyone to do it for me either._ He looked back at his food and felt very sick.

“Harry?” Cedric took his hand carefully and to Harry, it felt like something was burning him.

“I gotta go,” he said quickly and got up and left. He heard them calling after him but he sped up.

“Sorry, Cedric,” said Hermione. “He’s being difficult again.”

“It’s not your fault,” Cedric smiled. “Do you know what could have triggered it?”

“Dunno,” shrugged Ron. “He was fine last night. I’ll try talking to him in classes.”

“Yeah, I’ll catch him up after Occlumency,” said Cedric.

Harry was caught up by Ron and Hermione in classes soon after he left. Harry knew they were going to try and talk to him but he didn’t know what to say. Ron only smiled at him and discussed something about his homework with Hermione. They didn’t talk to him until they went to lunch together.

“Harry,” started Hermione carefully. “Do you think you could talk to us?”

“Okay,” said Harry curtly as they sat down.

“Are you feeling okay?” Hermione continued.

“I guess,” shrugged Harry and Hermione just sighed and looked at Ron pointedly.

“Mate,” said Ron, “honestly, what’s eating you?”

“It’s nothing, really,” insisted Harry.

“If it’s nothing why do you keep closing everyone off again?” asked Ron.

“I just,” sighed Harry, “need a bit of a break, that’s all.”

“Okay,” nodded Ron. “But you’re sure you don’t need to talk about anything? We’re worried about you. Cedric is too.”

“I know,” muttered Harry. “It’s okay. I’ll talk to him later.”

Ron and Hermione just exchanged looks and knew there was not much else they can do so they didn’t press it any further. They talked to each other and Harry just sat there quietly lost in his thoughts.

Harry walked to Snape’s lesson in the evening. He was filled with anxiety about not practising in his spare time. He was also still feeling angry for some reason. Snape was as unpleasant as ever but before they could start, they were interrupted by Malfoy, who said that Umbridge needed Snape for something. Snape then told Harry they would continue their lesson tomorrow instead. Which gave Harry some more time to prepare. Snape and Malfoy then left and Harry was left alone. He was about to leave as well but then he saw something on his way out. It was a Pensieve. Harry wasn’t sure why his curiosity won over common sense. But then, that’s what happened most of the times anyway. So he decided to look into the Pensieve.

Suddenly, he was sitting in the Great Hall and Snape was sitting behind him – as a teenager. It was his OWLs in Defence Against the Dark Arts. Harry moved around the classroom and then he stopped. There was a boy sitting – it was his father. Harry felt joy swirl inside of him. He was watching James Potter for a while and then he noticed Sirius. Sirius was very good-looking. Few seats behind him was sitting Remus Lupin. He looked very pale and peaky. He was absorbed in the test, writing frantically, but every now and then he looked over at Sirius with a fond look. Harry smiled at that. Then he also noticed Wormtail. He was a small boy who looked rather anxious. The exam was over soon and Harry managed to catch a bit of conversation between the Marauders.

“Did you like question ten, Moony?” asked Sirius and put his arm around Remus.

“Loved it,” said Lupin briskly. “ _Give five signs that identify the werewolf._ Excellent question.”

“D’you think you managed to get all the signs?” said James in tones of mock concern.

“Think I did,” said Remus seriously. “One: he’s sitting on my chair. Two: he’s wearing my clothes. Three: his name’s Remus Lupin.”

Harry kept a close eye on Snape, who was close by. He was going through his exam questions. He was afraid Snape was going to go in a different direction but to his relief, he also headed to the lake as the Marauders were.

“Well, I thought that paper was a piece of cake,” said Sirius. “I’ll be surprised if I don’t get ‘Outstanding’ on it at least.”

“Me too,” said James. He put his hand in his pocket and took out a struggling Golden Snitch.

“Where’d you get that?”

“Nicked it,” said James casually.

They stopped in a shade of one of the trees by the lake and sat down. Harry looked over at Snape who also sat down not far from them. Remus pulled out a book and started reading but Sirius seemed to be a bit clingy. He tried to get Remus’ attention and climb into his lap and Remus was pretending to ignore him. In the end, they settled with Sirius lying in Remus’ lap and Remus resting his hand in Sirius’ hair and holding his book with his other one. James was still playing with his Snitch and Wormtail was watching him.

“I’m bored,” said Sirius. “Wish it was full moon.”

“You might,” said Remus darkly from behind his book. “We’ve still got Transfiguration if you’re bored you could test me. Here ...” and he held out his book.

“I don’t need to look at that rubbish, I know it all,” snorted Sirius. “Moony, you know what would entertain me?” he winked and Remus blushed.

“Don’t be disgusting,” snickered James. “This’ll liven you up, Padfoot, look who it is ...”

Sirius’s head turned. “Excellent,” he said softly. “ _Snivellus.”_

Harry turned to see Snape, who was on his feet again. Sirius and James stood up as well. Wormtail and Remus remained sitting down, Remus looked slightly annoyed. Then James shouted _Expelliarmus_ at Snape and his wand flew away. Then he used _Impedimenta_ to knock Snape down on the ground. More students gathered around to watch and James and Sirius were laughing. Then they were making fun of Snape and James cast _Scourgify_ on him and pink soap bubbles streamed from Snape’s mouth.

“Leave him ALONE!”

They all turned around. It was a girl and Harry realised – it was his mother.

“All right, Evans?” said James.

“Leave him alone,” Lilly repeated and she was looking at James with every sign of great dislike. “What’s he done to you?”

Then there was some bickering between them and Harry was conflicted. James then said that he would leave Snape alone if Lilly was going to go out with him.

“I wouldn’t go out with you if it was a choice between you and the giant squid,” said Lilly.

“Bad luck, Prongs,” said Sirius.

That was when Snape caught his opportunity. He directed his wand straight at James, there was a flash of light and a gash appeared on the side of James’s face, spattering his robes with blood. James reacted quickly and then a second later, Snape was hanging upside-down in the air. Lilly was shouting at James to let Snape down and then James did. Snape fell on the ground with a loud thud. He quickly got up, with his wand ready, but Sirius was quicker as he shouted _Petrificus Totalus_ and Snape fell to the ground again.

“LEAVE HIM ALONE!” Lilly shouted. She had her own wand out now.

“Ah, Evans, don’t make me hex you,” said James.

“Take the curse off him, then!”

James sighed and then muttered a counter-curse.

“There you go,” he said as Snape struggled to his feet. “You’re lucky Evans was here, Snivellus –“

“I don’t need help from filthy little Mudblood like her!”

Lilly blinked.

“Fine,” she said coolly. “I won’t bother in the future. And I’d wash your pants if I were you, _Snivellus._ ”

“Apologise to Evans!” James roared.

“I don’t want _you_ to make him apologise,” Lilly shouted at James. “You’re as bad as he is.”

Then they argued for a bit, where Lilly kept naming things about James that made her sick. Then she turned and hurried away, James shouting after her. But she was gone. James and Sirius then made Snape hang upside-down again and that was when Harry’s entertainment ended.

“Having fun?”

He was raised from the Pensieve by Snape who looked very angry, obviously. It was scary. Then Snape shouted at him and threw him out of his office, telling him not to come back again. _Well, that’s that, then,_ Harry thought on his way out. He didn’t know what to do. He didn’t want to tell anyone about what he’s just seen. It was not pleasant at all to see his father like that. He was walking from the dungeons, still not decided on where he was going to go when he ran into Cedric, who was just going down.

“You finished early,” said Cedric.

“Uh, yeah ... I ... what are you doing here?” stuttered Harry.

“I was going to wait for you to finish your lesson,” Cedric smiled. “But you beat me to it.”

“Oh ... er ... okay.”

“Are you alright?” asked Cedric.

“Yeah ... yes ... I’m fine,” said Harry nervously.

“Really?” Cedric eyed him.

“Yeah, yeah ... I think I’ll go to bed,” said Harry.

“Oh no, you don’t,” Cedric took his hand. “You’re not running away this time, mister.”

“But –“

“Come on, Harry,” said Cedric. “I don’t mind giving you space but ... can we at least spend some time together? I’m worried about you.”

“I know ... okay,” said Harry. “I’m sorry,” he sighed.

“It’s okay,” smiled Cedric. “If you really want to go to bed, it’s fine.”

“No, I’m not tired yet,” said Harry. “I want to be with you,” he smiled.

“Okay, but tell me if you want to be alone,” said Cedric.

They walked up to the Room of Requirement. Harry was still feeling conflicted. He wasn’t sure if he should tell Cedric what really happened today in Snape’s lesson. He also felt bad for distancing himself from everyone and making them worried. When they got to the Room of Requirement, they sat down on the sofa and Cedric took a small box out of his bag that had some cake in it.

“I went to the kitchens earlier,” he said. “I know you didn’t eat much today and I thought the cake would make you feel better.”

“Thank you,” smiled Harry as he took a piece.

They ate the cake in silence, some questions still hanging in the air that Cedric didn’t ask and Harry didn’t want to answer. After they finished the cake, Harry did feel a bit better but still didn’t understand a lot of what he was feeling. He looked up at Cedric who was already looking at him with a kind smile. Harry moved closer to him and hugged him tightly.

“I’m sorry,” he whispered.

“You don’t have to apologise,” chuckled Cedric. “I’m sorry if I keep pushing you or something.”

“You’re not pushing me,” said Harry into Cedric’s chest. “I wish I could tell you what’s going on. It’s just I don’t understand it sometimes myself.”

“And that’s okay. I just want you to know that you can come to me and we can talk about anything else ... or not talk at all.”

Harry smirked at that.

“Oh, not like that ... I meant it ... you know ... we can just hang out,” Cedric said nervously.

“Look at you, red as a tomato,” Harry chuckled and looked up at Cedric.

“What? I’m not,” stuttered Cedric.

“You are,” laughed Harry. “Look, you’re red here, and here, and here,” he started dabbing his finger gently to different spots on Cedric’s face.

“Stop it,” laughed Cedric and he tried to push Harry’s hands away.

They were both laughing while they play-fought together. Then Cedric pushed Harry down on the sofa, towering over him and holding his hands down.

“Okay, I give up, I give up,” laughed Harry.

“Oh, now you’re losing, you give up,” smirked Cedric.

“Okay, then you win,” said Harry.

“What do I win then?”

“Isn’t the joy of winning over the Boy Who Lived enough for you?”

“Hmm ... not really.”

“Okay then,” said Harry and then pulled Cedric down and kissed him. Cedric kissed him back and then pulled away with a smile on his face.

“Thank you,” he said.

“Can you stop thanking me almost after every time we kiss?” Harry chuckled.

“Maybe,” shrugged Cedric. “I will try.”

“It’s getting annoying how nice you are,” said Harry but with a smile so Cedric would know he was only teasing him.

“Oh, I’m annoying, am I?” smirked Cedric. “Who’s here all ‘oh I’m fine but if you talk to me about anything I will snap at you’?”

“Pfff, don’t be mean,” chuckled Harry.

“Okay, okay, sorry,” smiled Cerdic. “So I imagine you still don’t want to talk about it?”

“No, not really,” said Harry.”But because it’s you, I guess I can.”

“You don’t have to.”

“It’s okay. I was just being dramatic, really,” smiled Harry. “It’s just ... I don’t know. Dumbledore hasn’t spoken to me all year and then he suddenly defends me and says that the DA was his idea all along.”

“Well, you know ... he probably knew about it and planned this,” said Cedric. “He probably knew this was going to blow up one day so he had an escape plan prepared.”

“Yeah ... but that’s what I mean. He knows everything, doesn’t he? But he still tells me nothing. I just feel there’s so much I should know but no one wants to tell me. And Dumbledore saving my neck was the last thing I wanted from him.”

“I get it,” nodded Cedric. “I don’t know why he didn’t talk to you this year, or just didn’t tell you what’s going on, I think he should. But it’s Dumbledore, he probably has his reason.”

“I hate that everyone keeps saying that. Everyone just trusts Dumbledore with everything. And how can I trust him if he didn’t give me a reason to.”

“I don’t know,” whispered Cedric. “But it’s not your fault he doesn’t talk to you, you know that, right?”

“I guess ... I mean at first, I thought it was my fault ... but now I don’t know what to think anymore.”

“I’m sorry,” said Cedric and squeezed Harry’s hand.

“It’s alright,” smiled Harry. “Also ... I kind of don’t need to go to Occlumency anymore.”

“Oh? How come?”

“Snape said I’m prepared enough,” Harry shrugged, the lie coming out easily.

“Really?” Cedric eyed him. “But you were so anxious about it today.”

“I guess I’m not as dense as I thought.”

“You’re not dense,” said Cedric. “It’s just a bit surprising, that’s all.”

“Hmm,” shrugged Harry.

Cedric was still eying him suspiciously and Harry didn’t know what to do.

“So, did you try to cast your Patronus again?” he changed the subject.

“Er ... yeah,” said Cedric.

“And?”

“I think I progressed. Last time it almost had a shape. But I didn’t try since.”

“Wanna try?” asked Harry.

“Sure,” smiled Cedric.

He took out his wand and exhaled. He closed his eyes and tried to focus. Harry slid closer to him and squeezed his free hand.

“ _Expecto Patronum,_ ” said Cedric softly.

A silver wisp of light came out of his wand and it started forming a shape. Then it took the form of a wolf. It started running around the room.

“Cedric, look,” Harry nudged him and Cedric finally opened his eyes.

“It’s a wolf,” he said.

“Yeah,” smiled Harry. “Remus has a wolf too.”

Cedric watched the wolf in awe as it ran around them. Soon after the wolf vanished, Cedric looked back at Harry and before Harry could say anything, he lunged at him and kissed him. Harry kissed him back and then he felt Cedric’s tongue fighting his way into his mouth. It was strange at first but after a while, he decided that he enjoyed it. They played tongue twister with each other for a while and then Cedric pulled away and just hugged Harry tightly and didn’t let him go.

“Um, are you okay?” asked Harry.

“Yes,” said Cedric.

“What was it? Your happy memory? If you don’t mind me asking?” said Harry into Cedric’s chest.

“You,” said Cedric simply. “After the Tournament. When we were in the Hospital Wing and you climbed into my bed.”

“Oh.”

“It was the first time I knew there might be something more,” whispered Cedric.

“Oh,” repeated Harry.

“Sorry, I hope it’s not too overwhelming.”

“No, it’s not,” said Harry. “It’s great.”

“Okay, good,” said Cedric and still didn’t let go of Harry.

“Um, Cedric?” asked Harry tentatively. “You know ... er ... I don’t want you to think I’m fragile or anything,” he said and Cedric let go of him and looked at him.

“I don’t think that,” said Cedric.

“Right,” Harry nodded. “It’s just ... you know ... er ... I don’t think I’m ready to ... er ... you know ... do anything.”

Cedric blinked and was quiet for a second. Then he started laughing.

“What?” asked Harry, a bit angry.

“I’m sorry, you were just so adorable,” chuckled Cedric.

“Oh.”

“I already knew that, Harry,” said Cedric. “And now, don’t get offended, but you’re fifteen and I’m eighteen, okay. It might not seem like a big difference but I wouldn’t want to pressure you into anything. So I wasn’t, you know, thinking about anything like that in the near future.”

“What, because I’m fifteen?”

“Partly yes. But not really,” said Cedric. “Because it’s your first relationship. And that can be a bit scary. And I wouldn’t want you to do something you weren’t completely sure you wanted. And I know you have boundaries, I know you. So believe me, I’m fine like this as long as you want. Forever even,” he smiled.

“Okay,” said Harry. “That’s ... good to know.”

“So stop worrying about it and just tell me if something’s too much.”

“Okay,” Harry nodded. “So ... er ... have you ... er ... you know ... before ...”

“What, have I slept with someone before?” asked Cedric with a slight chuckle.

“Er ... yeah.”

“Do you really want to know that?”

“Yeah.”

“Okay,” Cedric nodded. “Yes,” he said. “I have. With Cho. Like two times. Although I wouldn’t probably count the first time really.”

“Okay,” said Harry.

“Are you alright knowing that?”

“Yeah ... I mean you dated for a while ... so it’s ... logical,” said Harry nervously. He really didn’t mind. He was just blushing from the whole conversation.

“Okay. Well before Cho, I haven’t, you know. I’m not Fred Weasley,” he chuckled and Harry smirked at that. “Not like there’s anything bad about that.”

“Yeah,” Harry smiled and then yawned.

“You’re sleepy?”

“A little,” Harry admitted.

“Let’s get you to bed then, it’s late anyway.”

They left the Room of Requirement and Cedric walked Harry to the portrait of the Fat Lady. Harry didn’t even realise how tired he really was until they started walking.

“Okay, goodnight, then,” smiled Cedric as the stopped.

“Goodnight,” said Harry and stood on his toes to kiss Cedric gently.

Then Harry climbed through the portrait hole into the common room. Ron and Hermione weren’t there, it was already quite late. Harry walked up to the dormitory where he found Ron talking with the other boys.

“Hey,” said Harry, everyone nodded to greet him and then they continued discussing whether it would be better to date Moaning Myrtle or Peeves.

“What do you think, Harry?” asked Dean.

“Er ... I think I’d rather kill myself.”

“Well then you’re a ghost and you have the same problem,” laughed Seamus. “Who would you choose?”

“Why are you guys talking about this?” Harry chuckled and looked at Neville who just shrugged and continued taking care of his cactus.

“Well, unlike you, we don’t get to enjoy the excitement of being in an actual relationship,” smirked Ron.

“So you rate ghosts instead?” asked Harry. “You guys need a hobby.”

“Well I keep telling Dean I can be his hobby, but the man never learns,” laughed Seamus.

“Yeah, right,” said Dean with a chuckle.

Ron and Harry just exchanged a knowing look while Dean and Seamus started rating Quidditch players.

“Hey, Ron,” said Harry. “Um, I’m sorry I was so moody today, I’m an idiot.”

“It’s okay,” shrugged Ron. “So you were with Cedric now?”

“Yeah,” Harry said and blushed.

“Merlin, you’re so obvious,” Ron smirked.

“Shut up,” chuckled Harry. “So, any progress with Hermione? You didn’t say anything since Valentine’s Day.”

“Not really,” Ron said. “We haven’t talked about it again. And there was no opportunity for me to ask her out again.”

“But you’re going to, right?”

“I don’t know,” said Ron. “I mean I want to. But it seems she has other things on her mind. Like it wouldn’t be wanted right now, you know.”

“I see,” nodded Harry. “Well I think you should but it’s up to you.”

“Yeah,” said Ron and that was it.

It was the first day of Easter break the next day so many students left to go home. Most of the fifth years and seventh years stayed, however, to study for their exams. Hermione wasn’t happy about Harry not having Occlumency anymore and she tried to convince him to ask Snape for more lessons. But Harry insisted on his lie that he was prepared enough and that she should just drop it.

Hermione made them all timetables for studying and Ron was startled to discover there were only six weeks left until their exams. Harry was still thinking about what he saw in the Pensieve. It troubled him to see his parents like that. In his mind, he always had an image of his father being great as Sirius often depicted him. But it turned out both James and Sirius were just bullies. He knew they were troublemakers but he imagined they were more like Fred and George. At least his mother was nice. But then the look in her eyes when she watched James. It was just terrible. She loathed him. But he didn’t want to tell anyone about it so he mostly pretended he was okay and that he was just troubled with the exams coming up. He wished he could talk to Sirius and Remus but he knew he couldn’t.

They spent a lot of time in the library during the Easter break and Cedric joined them for most of the time as well. He and his friend Ryan were so deep in studying; however, there was almost no way of talking to them about something else. Soon there were also career pamphlets and leaflets lying everywhere, probably to help them decide, but Harry found it very unhelpful. Before the end of the holidays, there was a notice hung on the board in the Gryffindor Tower about careers advice. That meant Harry had to really think about what he wanted to do and he had no idea. On the last day of the spring break, they were discussing it in the common room when Fred and George came up to Harry.

“Ginny told us you would like to talk to Sirius,” said Fred.

“Yeah I thought I might,” said Harry.

“Don’t be so ridiculous,” said Hermione to the twins. “With Umbridge groping around in the fires and frisking all the owls?”

“Well, we think we can find a way around that,” said George. “It’s a simple matter of causing a diversion.”

So they discussed that they would create a diversion and Harry could sneak into Umbridge’s office to talk to Sirius. Harry could use the knife that would open any lock, which Sirius gave him for Christmas in the fourth year. Hermione didn’t approve greatly but Ron just shrugged and said that if Harry wanted to do it, it was up to him.

“Right, then. We’re thinking of doing it tomorrow,” said Fred, “just after lessons, because it should cause maximum impact if everybody’s in the corridors – Harry, we’ll set it off in the east wing somewhere, draw her right away from her own office – I reckon we should be able to guarantee, what, twenty minutes?” he said looking at George.

“Easy,” said George.

“I’m sure Cedric wouldn’t approve either, Harry,” frowned Hermione.

“Well, then we just don’t tell him, do we?” said Harry. “He has enough stress anyway, no need to add more.”

Hermione was constantly nagging Harry about talking to Sirius during classes the next day. It only resulted in her fighting with both Harry and Ron so by the end of the day they weren’t speaking to her. Harry was only worried she would tell Cedric but it seemed as she didn’t plan on it. Meanwhile, Snape was even more horrible to Harry in classes but Harry supposed he kind of deserved it. In the afternoon that day, Harry had to go to his careers advice appointment with Professor McGonagall and he still wasn’t sure what he was going to tell her. To Harry’s dismay, Professor Umbridge was also present to his appointment.

They talked mainly about Harry being an Auror although he was not sure about it. But at this point, it seemed like the most logical solution. So Professor McGonagall told him which subjects he should focus on. She told him he should work harder in Transfiguration if he wants to go down that path. And then there was the problem of Potions. Snape only took students with ‘Outstanding’ from their OWLs and Harry already knew he wasn’t going to get that no matter how hard he tried. During their conversation, Umbridge kept coughing to try and say something but Professor McGonagall pointedly ignored her.

“May I offer you a cough drop, Dolores?” Professor McGonagall asked eventually.

But Umbridge obviously started talking about Harry not having quite the right temperament for being an Auror. Professor McGonagall then proceeded to ignore her again and started saying that Harry had high marks from all his Defence Against the Dark Arts teachers, which made Umbridge interrupt them again.

“I’m terribly sorry to have to contradict you, Minerva, but as you will see from my note, Harry has been achieving very poor results in his classes with me –“

“I should have made my meaning plainer,” said Professor McGonagall. “He has achieved high marks in all Defence Against the Dark Arts tests set by a competent teacher.”

Umbridge didn’t say anything to that, just began to scribble furiously on her board. Harry asked McGonagall more questions about being an Auror and Umbridge started talking again. She insisted that Harry had a criminal record and therefore he had no chance of becoming an Auror. Professor McGonagall then insisted that she will make sure herself Harry would become an Auror. And then Umbridge was just shrieking at her and Professor McGonagall sent Harry away. Umbridge was still angry later on when they had Defence Against the Dark Arts lesson. Hermione still tried to talk Harry out of trying to contact Sirius and Harry was considering it. But it was already planned. He wasn’t sure what to do.

But then, when classes ended, he could hear screams coming from somewhere above them. Even though Hermione tried to stop him, Harry decided to do it. He ran into Umbridge’s office, with his Invisibility Cloak on and clutching to the knife he got from Sirius. He got to the fireplace and called the Grimmauld Place. Sirius didn’t answer but Remus did.

“Harry!” he said, looking shocked. “What are you – what’s happened, is everything all right?”

“Yeah,” said Harry. “I just ... I just wanted to talk to Sirius.”

“I’ll call him,” said Remus. Sirius was there shortly.

“What is it?” said Sirius urgently. “Are you all right? Do you need help?”

“No,” said Harry, “it’s nothing like that ... I just wanted to talk ... about my dad.”

He told them then about what he saw in the Pensieve. Sirius and Remus exchanged looks and then told Harry that his father was fifteen at the time as if that was supposed to excuse him. Then Sirius told him about how James and Snape always hated each other because they were so different. But then he admitted he wasn’t proud of what happened that day either. He said they were all idiots at that time. Then they told Harry that Lilly started going out with James in their seventh year when James stopped being such an idiot. Then they assured Harry that even though James was an idiot at the time, he could also be very kind and a good person. Harry eventually let it go; he supposed it was right, people changed, after all. When Harry told Remus and Sirius that he had no more Occlumency lessons with Snape anymore, they were both very angry and Harry had to promise he was going to try and talk to Snape about it.

“I have to go now,” said Harry. “I’m sorry.”

“Okay, okay,” said Sirius.

“Everything else okay then?” asked Remus.

“Yeah, yeah,” nodded Harry. “Um, Cedric and I started dating, just so you know, okay gotta go,” he smiled and left the fireplace before they could react.

He put on his Invisibility Cloak and then left the office quickly. He ran to the Entrance Hall and it seemed that everyone was there. Fred and George were in the middle of everything.

“So!” shouted Umbridge. “You think it’s amusing to turn a school corridor into a swamp, do you?”

“Pretty amusing, yeah,” said Fred.

And before Umbridge could say anything, Fred and George summoned their brooms and then they were gone. It was an amazing sight. Cedric found him soon, which was a surprise due to that havoc everywhere.

“Hey, where have you been?” he asked. “I haven’t seen you with Ron and Hermione.”

“Um ... I was ... well ... er ...”

“Harry?” Cedric eyed him. “What did you do?”

“I ...,” Harry looked around and then grabbed Cedric’s hand and dragged him into an empty classroom. “I talked to Sirius,” he whispered.

“You did what?” said Cedric loudly. “How? Why?”

“Shh. I don’t want anyone to hear us. I went to Umbridge’s office and talked to Sirius.”

“Why? That was so dangerous.”

“I know, I just ... needed to talk to him,” said Harry. “I did something really stupid.”

“What happened?” asked Cedric and Harry noticed there was no anger in his voice.

So Harry told him what really happened with Snape and what he saw in the Pensieve. Why he needed to talk to Sirius and Remus about it and what they told him.

“Harry,” said Cedric gently. “That was really stupid.”

“I know.”

“You should have told me.”

“I didn’t want to stress you more because I knew it was stupid while I was doing it.”

“Harry,” Cedric chuckled. “You have every right to stress me out. You’re more important to me than some exams.”

“Well, you would only try to stop me.”

“That is probably true,” Cedric admitted.

“But it went fine, she didn’t catch me and everything’s okay,” Harry assured him. “I’m not going to do it again, don’t worry.”

“Okay,” said Cedric. “But promise me you’ll tell me about any stupid thing you’ll plan on doing.”

“Okay, I’ll try,” smiled Harry. “Oh, and I also told them about us.”

“Really?”

“Yeah but I had to end it before they could react,” said Harry. “I’m sure it’s fine, though. I just wanted to let them know.”

“That’s sweet,” smiled Cedric. “Come on, let’s have some dinner.”

Sirius and Remus blinked at each other when Harry finished the call abruptly. They were quiet for a while before they started laughing.

“So I think I won,” said Sirius. “I said before the end of the year.”

“Alright, alright, you won,” smirked Remus.

“Godfather knows best.”

“Well, it was about time anyway,” said Remus. “The way they danced around each other at Christmas, let alone during summer. Honestly, I suddenly knew how James was feeling about us before we got together.”

“Yeah,” chuckled Sirius. “Do you think he’s alright, though? About James I mean.”

“I hope so,” said Remus. “I mean, I understand why he was upset. We both painted this glorious picture of James and then the only thing he sees of him is this. And James was a right idiot at that time.”

“I know,” smiled Sirius. “I wonder how Harry managed to not get these idiot genes.”

“Well, he’s got the best of both of them. You know, James was kind but sometimes it got lost on his idiocy. And Harry is just kind.”

“And smart, like Lilly,” said Sirius.

“Yeah, I think we ought to be proud,” said Remus. “Although, there is some of James in him. Only an idiot would look into that Pensieve.”

“That’s true.”

“Well, we can talk to him more about his parents during summer,” said Remus. “And I think we should.”

“Yeah, we should.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading, hope you enjoyed!
> 
> So I wasn't sure about Cedric's Patronus and I took a bunch of personality tests and Patronus quizzes and answered them as I thought Cedric would (talk about dedication lol). In the end, I decided on a wolf, because it represents loyalty, trusting your instincts, friendship, intelligence and communication. And I think that suits Cedric quite well :)
> 
> Also wanted to say, consent is sexy ;)


	16. Just a little longer until Hell is over

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> OWLS and NEWTS!!!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay, thank you all so much for the lovely comments and kudos! I even received a wonderful message on Tumblr (I'm juhele on Tumblr too) and it made my day. So really, you all are amazing!
> 
> I'm very sorry for the delay, I thought I was going to be more productive during lockdown but I tend to overfixate on one thing and can't do anything else. This time I overfixated on something else than this fanfic ... oops. I hope everyone is well and I hope this brings you at least a bit of joy :)

The whole school was still living by the story of Fred and George’s flight to freedom over the next few days. Everyone was talking about it and some people even considered copying them. It also took Filch and Umbridge a long while to succeed at removing the swamp that filled the corridor on the fifth floor. A lot of people followed in the twins' footsteps and managed to play a lot of pranks on Umbridge in the following days. And of course, they were joined by none other than Peeves, who caused some riot on his own too.

They were sitting in the Great Hall having dinner one of these days when Ron voiced his worry that Mrs Weasley was going to be angry at him for not stopping the twins. Hermione was assuring him that certainly, Mrs Weasley was going to see there was nothing he could do about it. And that she shouldn’t be angry if the twins have the place in Diagon Alley already for their shop.

“Yes, but that’s another thing,” said Ron. “How did they get that place? Surely they would need a lot of money for that.”

“Well, yes, that occurred to me too,” said Hermione.

Harry was nervously digging into his food and he felt Cedric’s curious eyes on him.

“Er, Harry?” said Cedric. “Did the potato do something to you or would you like to tell us something?”

“What?” Harry looked up and they were all watching him. “Alright, it was me. I gave them my Tournament winnings. And I don’t regret it, either. I didn’t need the gold and they’ll be great at running a joke shop.”

“But this is excellent!” said Ron, looking thrilled. “It’s all your fault, Harry – Mum can’t blame me at all! Can I tell her?”

“Sure,” said Harry and returned to his food.

“Alright, mister secret keeper,” chuckled Cedric. “How many other nice things have you done without telling anyone?”

Harry just shrugged with a small smile on his face. Hermione was the only one who didn’t say anything about the whole thing and Harry supposed she didn’t really approve. But it was his money and what was done was done. She could give him a lecture about being responsible with his money some other day. But Hermione didn’t say anything about it. Instead, she asked Harry when he was going to talk to Snape about his Occlumency lessons. So, Harry did what only any normal person would do in this situation, and started jabbing harder into his potatoes.

“You can’t tell me you’ve stopped having funny dreams,” Hermione said, “because Ron told me you were muttering in your sleep again last night.”

“You were only muttering a bit,” Ron mumbled apologetically. “Something about ‘just a bit further’.”

“Er ... I dreamed about Quidditch,” Harry lied. He vividly remembered the dream from last night where he was again in the same corridor.

“Well, I hope it wasn’t anything dirty,” smirked Ron.

“What the hell, Ron?” Harry blushed.

“What? I don’t know what you get up to with Cedric in the evenings,” Ron laughed and Cedric almost choked on his dinner.

“Ronald! Stop making the conversation into something it’s not,” said Hermione disapprovingly. “You are trying to block your mind, aren’t you, Harry?”

“Of course I am,” said Harry.

Hermione didn’t comment it any further and the rest of the dinner was passed in silence. Ron was still smirking to himself, Harry resumed to stabbing his potatoes and Cedric was still blushing.

There was a Quidditch match between Hufflepuff and Slytherin the following Saturday. Harry was pretty excited to see Cedric play. Even though he couldn’t play himself, it was still nice when one could watch his boyfriend flying through the air chasing the snitch.

“Wish me luck,” said Cedric to Harry in the Quidditch tent before the match.

“Not that you really need it,” Harry smiled but kissed Cedric anyway. “I’ll be cheering the loudest.”

“Aren’t I lucky?” smiled Cedric. “I’ll see you after the match,” he said and hugged Harry tightly.

Harry returned to Ron and Hermione and they went to watch the match together. It was a very good game. It was very narrow but Hufflepuff still won. Cedric managed to catch the snitch, even though Malfoy wasn’t that bad (Harry would never admit it out loud). After the match, Hufflepuffs were throwing yet another party to celebrate in their common room. Of course, it was a complete secret, so the common room was very full, naturally.

“You were really good,” said Harry to Cedric as they were sitting with the others in the common room.

“Thanks, but I could have caught the snitch earlier,” shrugged Cedric.

“Well more time for me to watch you look good on a broom,” Harry blushed.

“Oh yeah?” said Cedric in a low voice.

“Hmm, it’s one of my favourite things. To watch you fly.”

“We should go flying together over the summer then.”

“If I can,” said Harry.

“Well, let’s say you can,” said Cedric and pushed Harry on his lap. “You could stay at my house for a while. If Remus and Sirius let you, of course. And we could go flying anytime,” he smiled. “I live close to the Weasleys too, so we could go and visit them and play some Quidditch. And we would just be together, and we’d be very happy like two idiots, how does that sound?”

“That’s ... that sounds nice,” Harry smiled and blushed very deeply. “But ... I mean ... what about your parents? Your ... your dad is not very fond of me.”

“That’s because he mainly knows you from the terrible articles. He hasn’t talked to you properly. Once he does, he will see how wonderful you are,” said Cedric and took Harry’s hand and intertwined their fingers. “As soon as schools over, I’ll tell them about us. It’ll be the first thing I’ll say to them when I get off that train.”

“Well, maybe, you know, I’m not an expert on this, but just maybe, you should say hello first,” teased Harry.

“Okay, but after that, I’m doing it,” said Cedric.

“Alright,” smiled Harry and kissed Cedric softly.

“Are you guys aware of other people around you?” said Ron who was sitting on the sofa next to them.

“Weren’t you with Hermione just a minute ago?” asked Harry.

“Well, yeah,” said Ron. “But she started talking about S.P.E.W. to this Hufflepuff guy who was really interested so ... I just left. Your friend Ryan gave me this drink,” he held up the glass he was holding.

“Ryan gave that to you?” Cedric asked. “Yeah, you shouldn’t drink that. Don’t trust anything he gives you.”

“Okay,” said Ron and put the drink on the table. “Good game today, Cedric. I’m glad you kicked those Slytherins in their butts.”

“Thanks,” chuckled Cedric. “So last match next week. You’re playing against Ravenclaw.”

“Oh yeah,” said Ron, all the joy suddenly sucked out of him. “Well, there’s nothing much to lose now, I already ruined everything I could.”

“Ron, how many times do I have to tell you,” said Harry. “You’re not bad, you just have to focus and stop thinking about what others think.”

“Easily said than done,” muttered Ron.

“But Harry’s right,” said Cedric. “I’ve seen you training before and you’re good. You just have to believe in yourself a bit.”

“Hmpf,” grunted Ron and didn’t seem any more confident.

Harry and Cedric exchanged a look and then Hermione came over.

“Ron, why did you leave?” she asked. “I was just about to tell David about other members of S.P.E.W.”

“Oh, and where is David now?” asked Ron, looking a bit hurt.

“He went to tell his girlfriend about S.P.E.W. I will bring them the badges tomorrow,” Hermione beamed.

“Oh,” said Ron, suddenly more cheerful. “That’s great!”

“Well, anyway, I’m quite tired so I think I’m going to go. I’m not trying to sound like a mother but I think you guys should too,” said Hermione. “And honestly, Harry, are there not any seating spaces that you have to sit in Cedric’s lap like some cat?”

“I ... er ...,” stuttered Harry but then started laughing.

“So sorry to offend you with our affection, Hermione,” said Cedric and started laughing too.

“Alright, it’s late, you’re right, ‘Mione,” said Harry. “We should go.”

“Okay, do you want me to walk you?” asked Cedric.

“I think I’ll be alright with those two but if anyone kidnaps me, you know who to suspect,” smiled Harry.

“I’ll see you guys tomorrow then,” said Cedric. “Goodnight.”

“Goodnight,” said Harry and hugged Cedric tightly.

Cedric planted a kiss on his head and then the trio left the Hufflepuff common room. Harry was still smiling on their way to the Gryffindor Tower while Ron and Hermione were discussing something related to O.W.L.s.

“Harry, stop daydreaming, you almost walked through that ghost,” said Hermione.

“Oh, sorry,” apologized Harry.

“You can’t blame the guy, Hermione,” said Ron. “It’s hard for him to focus, you know because he’s so _in loooove_ ,” said Ron teasingly.

“I’m not, shut up.”

“I’m sorry, Harry, but you do carry out all the symptoms,” smiled Hermione.

“Cut it out, you two,” chuckled Harry.

“Okay, sorry, mate,” said Ron. “I know, you’re a bit sensitive now because you’re so _in looove.”_

“Oh my God, honestly,” said Harry.

“Don’t worry, Harry, we won’t tell anyone,” smiled Hermione. “And anyway, I think it’s great. You’ve been so much happier lately and your anger issues are almost gone. Plus you’ve been eating so much better too. I’m really proud of you.”

“Er .... thanks,” smiled Harry. “You guys have been really great to me, about everything. So don’t think it’s just because of Cedric.”

“We know,” said Hermione. “But he is a good influence on you.”

Harry just nodded and didn’t say anything else. They walked to the Gryffindor Tower and went straight to bed. Everything was going so well lately that Harry couldn’t stop his brain from thinking that there was something suspicious about it all. _It’s fine,_ he thought, _this is what normal life is supposed to be._ But he couldn’t stop his mind from creating all these weird thoughts. He kept thinking about the fact that something will go wrong eventually. Because it was him, so something had to go wrong. He couldn’t get rid of the dread in the back of his head that everything was only temporary. Sooner or later, the fact that he is Harry Potter is going to complicate everything again. _I was selfish,_ he thought, _to let Cedric get close to me this much. It’s going to be so unfair to him when something happens. I shouldn’t have let it go this far because now I’m only going to hurt him either way. If we stay together, something bad is going to happen. But if I leave him now, it’s only going to break him. What am I going to do?_ He couldn’t stop thinking about this and also about what Ron and Hermione said. _I’m not in love with him, though, am I? How do you know you’re in love anyway. And he’s not in love with me either, I’m sure. How could he anyway? So maybe the damage is not that big, maybe there is still a way out of this. A way where the only person that gets hurt is me._ These thoughts went on in Harry’s head until he finally fell asleep. He dreamt the same dream again, which only made him overthink everything more the next day. Because now he was sure the dream had a meaning. And the meaning wasn’t anything good.

Harry didn’t voice his worries to anyone because everyone was so busy studying for their exams. Whenever they would ask him if anything was wrong over the next few days, he just shrugged and said he was stressed about O.W.L.s. That seemed to leave everyone off his case. Cedric eyed him suspiciously here and there as if he knew Harry was lying but didn’t say anything about it yet. But Harry knew he noticed because Harry was trying not to be as affectionate with Cedric as he was before. He wouldn’t reach out to hold his hand when they walked together, or wouldn’t kiss him goodbye when they parted ways. Cedric didn’t comment on it and seemed to give Harry space but Harry knew that sooner or later it’s going to come up.

The following Saturday the final match of the Quidditch season, Gryffindor versus Ravenclaw, took place. Ron wasn’t at all confident and looked very nauseous. Hermione tried to cheer him up a bit as they walked to the match together but it was really no use. Harry himself wasn’t sure what to tell him anymore. He wasn’t that good at cheering people up. Cedric joined them in the Gryffindor stands soon and the match began. The Slytherins were, of course, singing _Weasley is our king_ again to mock Ron and Harry only hoped Ron wouldn’t pay it too much attention. He felt Cedric intertwining their fingers and he looked up at him.

“You okay?” Cedric asked.

“Yeah,” said Harry automatically.

“Something’s going on,” said Cedric.

“No.”

“There is. And I think you should talk about it with someone other than the voice in your head,” said Cedric. “It doesn’t have to be me if you don’t want to. I’m just saying.”

“Can we just watch the match?”

“Sure,” sighed Cedric.

 _You’re doing it again,_ said the voice in Harry’s head. _No matter what you do, you’re going to hurt perfect Cedric. Because even when he’s mad at you he’s too perfect. Too perfect for you._

Harry’s train of thoughts was interrupted, however.

“Harry,” said a hoarse voice. “Hermione ...”

Harry turned around to see Hagrid.

“Listen,” he whispered, “can yeh come with me? Now? While ev’ryone’s watchin’ the match?”

“Er ... can’t it wait, Hagrid?” asked Harry. “Till the match is over?”

“No,” said Hagrid. “No, Harry, it’s gotta be now ... while ev’ryone’s lookin’ the other way ... please?”

So they agreed to come. Harry felt bad for not watching the rest of the match but Hagrid seemed ... disturbed. He didn’t look good at all, his eyes were blackened and his nose was gently dripping blood. They followed Hagrid out of the Quidditch stadium, Cedric still holding Harry’s hand and Harry only just realised that he never told Hagrid about them. But Hagrid ignored everyone for quite some time so it was kind of hard to mention it before. Plus, he was sure that Hagrid wouldn’t mind.

Hagrid led them into the Forest and it was all very disturbing. They walked quite deep into the Forest. It turned out that Hagrid because he was afraid of being fired soon, wanted to introduce them to Grawp. Grawp was a giant and Hagrid’s half-brother and the cause of Hagrid’s bruises over the past months. And what Hagrid wanted from them was to look after Grawp in case Hagrid had to leave. Which sounded terrifying, Harry had to admit. Hermione didn’t look all too convinced either but she didn’t refuse. So they agreed in the end and Hagrid decided to introduce them properly, which meant waking up Grawp. The three of them exchanged terrified looks as the giant roared loudly. Grawp tried to grab Hermione but Harry managed to pull her away in time. Hagrid tried to explain to the giant that it was wrong but he didn’t seem to comprehend it very much. They decided that it was enough for introductions and started walking back to the castle.

They said goodbye to Hagrid and walked back to the Quidditch stadium. Hermione was muttering all the way up there about how irresponsible and dangerous the whole thing was and Harry was trying to calm her down. Cedric still didn’t say anything but never let go of Harry’s hand. Hermione was almost on the verge of tears when they heard people singing _Weasley is our king_ again. But there was something different about the song.

_Weasley can save anything_

_He never leaves a single ring,_

_That’s why Gryffindors all sing:_

_Weasley is our King._

The three of them exchanged confused looks and then Ron was running up to them with pure excitement.

“WE DID IT! WE WON!” he yelled.

Then he was taken by the singing crowd that headed to the Entrance Hall. They followed the crowd into the Gryffindor Tower and decided not to tell Ron about Grawp until the next day.

Soon the Gryffindor common room was filled with students celebrating the victory. The Quidditch Cup still belonged to Hufflepuff but now Gryffindor was in a second place, which was very good considering how lousy their performance was over the year. And as long as they beat Slytherin, everyone was happy. Ron was practically beaming with happiness that it was hard not to smile when they looked at him. Hermione looked especially relieved with the turnout of the match.

“So, I assume Ron’s Quidditch performance wasn’t your main worry this week,” said Cedric as they sat together in the common room.

“I ... well ... it was,” said Harry.

“Yeah, right,” chuckled Cedric. “Come on, Harry, don’t you think it’s getting a bit old?”

“What is?”

“This whole pretending that you’re fine while you have very disturbing conversations with yourself in your head.”

“I don’t do that.”

“Look, it’s fine if you don’t want to talk about it. But don’t think you’re going to fool me. Or Ron and Hermione for that matter. We all know you quite well by now.”

“It’s just been a long and disturbing day today, that’s all,” said Harry.

“Yeah, you’re right, it was,” said Cedric. “But it’s not just today. It’s okay, though, you know you can tell me anything. Or Hermione and Ron if you don’t want to tell me. Just don’t do your typical Harry thing.”

“What’s typical Harry thing?”

“Discussing it with your brain. It’s not always very rational.”

“Well, not everyone can be so perfect as you,” Harry snapped. _Why did you do that, you idiot?_

“Oh, okay,” sighed Cedric. “I think I’m going to go, I still need to study a bit.”

Harry didn’t say anything. Cedric kissed him on his cheek and then left. _See what happens, when you act like yourself? You’re not good enough for him to stay. But it’s only for the best, if he stayed, it would only hurt him more._

Harry decided to go to bed shortly after that. Ron was still in the middle of the celebrations and Hermione too. He didn’t want to ruin the good atmosphere by being himself again.

Ron, of course, was still happy about the Quidditch match over the next few days and couldn’t stop talking about it. They had to tell Ron about Grawp, obviously, which was quite difficult because none of them wanted to ruin his happiness. But when they told him, eventually, Ron wasn’t too happy about the idea. In fact, he seemed quite scared. They all agreed that there was no need to discuss it further because Hagrid was not fired yet. So maybe they wouldn’t have to deal with it at all.

It was June already which only meant they all kept revising for their O.W.L.s, which were very close now. Cedric was also lost in studying for his N.E.W.T.s so there was no time for him and Harry to talk properly. Not that Harry really wanted to. He knew he was being difficult and stupid again but there was really no need to discuss anything like this right now. Cedric seemed stressed as it was and Harry still wasn’t sure what to make out of his thoughts anyway.

All of their classes now were dedicated to revision and everyone was panicking. Hermione was very strict with their study schedule, only allowing them breaks for food. It was the night before their first exam when Hermione came to sit with Harry in their common room.

“Cedric talked to me,” she said.

“About what?”

“He asked me to keep an eye on you.”

“Oh,” said Harry. “Because I need looking after, don’t I?”

“Don’t be mean again, Harry,” she said. “There’s obviously something going on in your brain and you should talk to us.”

“There’s nothing going on.”

“Cedric is worried about you.”

“He is always worried about me,” said Harry. “And he shouldn’t. He should focus on his N.E.W.T.s and not me. I’m not that important.”

“Oh, Harry, you can be so stupid sometimes.”

“Er ... thanks.”

“Harry, do we make you happy?”

“What do you mean?”

“Ron and I. Do we make you happy?” she asked again.

“You’re making me a bit frustrated right now but overall ... yeah. You’re my best friends,” said Harry.

“So why don’t you talk to us about things that worry you?”

“I ... I don’t want to be the reason you are worried.”

“But Harry, that’s what friends do. When you care about someone, you share stuff with them. And not only the good stuff, the bad ones too. It makes it easier that way.”

“I guess.”

“So, let me ask you again. What’s wrong?”

“I think ... I’m just worried that something is going to happen because I’m ... well ... me,” said Harry. “You know, it’s been good lately and that makes me anxious that something is waiting behind the corner that will ruin it all. And I’ve been selfish, I let Cedric get close to me and now it’s too late.”

“Too late for what?”

“Well ... you know, if we stay together, he’s probably going to get hurt. But if I leave him to save him, it’s just going to break him. Although, I don’t really see why because he could really do so much better.”

“Harry,” smiled Hermione. “You’re just overthinking again.”

“I know, but it’s not like I can stop.”

“I know. Just listen, it’s normal to be worried about people you care about and not wanting to hurt them. But you have to understand that everyone gets hurt, it’s the side effect of life. You’re not going to save people from getting hurt by doing this. Tell me, does Cedric make you happy?”

“Um ... yes.”

“Do you love him?”

“Er ... I haven’t thought about that ... really ... we haven’t ... er ...,” Harry blushed.

“Okay, okay, sorry, I won’t ask,” smiled Hermione. “Harry, I know it’s not easy being you. But you need to realise that you’re here to be happy. Not to be the Boy Who Lived. So you need to spend time with people that make you happy. Sure, there probably will be difficult times, but with the people you care about, it’s going to make them less difficult.”

“Hmm,” murmured Harry.

“Does that help?”

“Yeah,” smiled Harry. “Thank you, ‘Mione.”

“I’m not going to tell you to talk to Cedric about it, that’s up to you. I know he won’t push you into talking about things that make you uncomfortable. And I know that a few words are not going to magically change the way your brain works. Just try to think about what I told you sometimes, okay?”

“Sure,” said Harry.

Hermione nodded and smiled.

“Hermione,” he added. “Do I make you happy?”

“Of course,” she said and then planted a kiss on his forehead. “Even though your brain frustrates me sometimes.”

“Okay,” Harry smiled.

“Now go to bed, you need good sleep for tomorrow.”

“Goodnight, ‘Mione,” said Harry as they got up. “And thanks again.”

“No problem, goodnight,” she said and then they both left for their dormitories.

The following morning was when the exams started. And even though Harry should’ve focused on it more, he thought all night about Cedric and what he should do. Because Cedric deserved something nice since he was so stressed all the time and because Harry wasn’t very communicative lately. So he came up with an idea.

Harry decided to join Cedric at the Hufflepuff table for breakfast and Cedric looked quite surprised at that.

“Good morning,” said Harry and planted a kiss on his cheek before he sat down next to him.

“Hello,” smiled Cedric. “You look awfully giddy for someone who starts his exams today.”

“Yeah, well,” shrugged Harry and started buttering his toast.

“I didn’t think you would want to sit with me today.”

“But I do,” smiled Harry. “Because you make me very happy.”

“Oh,” blushed Cedric. “That’s nice. You make me happy too. Even though I’m a tad confused now.”

“Well, I’ve been acting like an idiot as usual and I’ve realised it, as usual. So now I’m trying to apologize, as usual, by telling you that I’m very lucky to be with you.”

“Okay,” smiled Cedric. “Apology accepted, I guess.”

“So how are you feeling?”

“Nervous. But you being here makes me feel better actually.”

“Oh, I’m so flattered,” chuckled Harry. “You’re going to do great, though.”

“Thanks, I hope so,” said Cedric. “How are you?”

“Same I guess. But I’ve done all I could. Now it’s up to fate.”

“That’s true,” smiled Cedric.

After they finished their breakfast, the fifth – and seventh-years milled around in the Entrance Hall while the other students went off to lessons. Then, at half-past nine, they were called forwards class by class to re-enter the Great Hall.

“Good luck,” said Harry to Cedric and hugged him before they parted ways.

At lunch, Hermione was trying to talk over the questions from the Charms exam but neither Ron nor Harry wanted to discuss it. Harry thought the test wasn’t so bad but didn’t want to think about it much. Cedric seemed pretty okay with his own Theory of Charms exam but also didn’t comment on it much. After lunch they again parted for the practical exam, which went rather well, Harry thought. There was no time to relax, though. After dinner, they all went to revise for their Transfiguration exam the next day. On Wednesday, they had their Herbology exam and then, on Thursday, Defence Against the Dark Arts. Harry felt utter satisfaction from knowing all the answers for the written exam and then performing the spells without mistakes in the practical one right in front of Umbridge. The examiner even asked him to produce a Patronus for a bonus point and Harry did.

On Friday, Harry, Ron and Cedric had the day off while Hermione sat her Ancient Runes exam. And because they had the whole weekend in front of them, they decided to take a break from revision. Although, it was very hard to convince Cedric.

“I really should revise for next week,” insisted Cedric.

“You only have two subjects left,” said Harry. “Come on, you deserve a bit of break.”

“Well, I suppose I can read my notes while you guys play chess.”

So they spent the afternoon in the Gryffindor common room. Cedric was reading his notes while Harry and Ron played wizard chess. Sometimes he would watch them and sometimes he would quietly mutter his notes to himself, which Harry found endearing. Hermione came back from her exam quite angry because apparently, she miswrote one word. And also someone put another Niffler in Umbridge’s office, which wasn’t good news at all; because Umbridge thought Hagrid was behind it. When it was time for dinner and they all made their way to the Great Hall, Harry took Cedric’s hand and walked him away from everyone.

“I’ve got a surprise for you,” he said.

“What?” chuckled Cedric.

“Come on,” smiled Harry and led Cedric to the kitchens.

“You do know that there is dinner in the Great Hall, right?” asked Cedric with a smile.

Harry led him to the kitchens. There was a table ready for them with food and candles.

“What? You did this?”

“I mean, I asked Dobby to help me,” said Harry. “I just wanted to give you something nice. You need time to relax a bit and also I’ve been an idiot. And we haven’t been in the kitchens together in a while and I still think about it as kind of our safe space.”

“This is so lovely,” smiled Cedric. “I ... thank you,” he said and kissed Harry deeply.

“Come on, let’s eat,” smiled Harry and they sat down.

“You really didn’t have to do this, you know,” said Cedric. “I wasn’t mad at you.”

“I know, you’re never mad at me.”

“Well ... I could probably be mad at you. But not for the way your brain works sometimes,” shrugged Cedric. “Plus you’re way too adorable, so it’s quite hard to be mad.”

“Lucky me,” chuckled Harry.

“Oh, I can’t wait for summer,” said Cedric. “We should take a trip somewhere.”

“I don’t think I’m allowed to travel much.”

“Okay, well, that’s okay. Once you can, we’ll travel the whole world,” smiled Cedric.

“Alright,” chuckled Harry. “So, not to dampen the mood or anything, but have you thought more about what you want to do after school?”

“I talked to my dad,” said Cedric. “Well, talked to him over letters.”

“And?”

“It was ... okay ... I guess,” he shrugged. “Actually, it went better than I expected.”

“What did you say?”

“Well, I told him that I know he wants me to work in the Ministry and although I would love to spend more time with him, I don’t think the Ministry is a good place for me, not now at least when it’s in the state it is,” he said. “Then I said that I understand he wants what’s best for me but that I need to make my own decisions and mistakes. I also said that I was studying very hard for my N.E.W.T.s so he doesn’t need to worry too much about that. And that I think I’d like to work either in Herbology or with animals.”

“I’m proud of you,” said Harry happily. “Did he reply?”

“Yes, I got his letter just last weekend,” smiled Cedric. “I think Mom had to talk to him a bit. He said that he understands that I want to explore my options and that he agrees that it’s not perhaps the best time to get into Ministry, although he would love to have me there. He said that he is proud of me and that as long as I do something that makes me happy and as long as I can support myself in the future, he’s not going to talk me into something I don’t want.”

“Oh, that’s great!” smiled Harry.

“Yeah. You know I would never be able to talk to him about it if it wasn’t for you.”

“Oh, that’s not true.”

“No it is, you made me realise that I don’t need to listen to my dad for the rest of my life,” said Cedric.

“Well, you know, they say I’m a bad influence,” chuckled Harry.

“Yes, you are the worst,” laughed Cedric. “Oh, and also, I’ve been in touch with potential workplace.”

“Really? What is it?”

“Well, I talked to Professor Sprout to get some more advice on my future career and she suggested it to me actually. It’s this flower shop in the Diagon Alley. They have all sorts of magical and non-magical plants. They also have a lab where they create their own treatments for the plants and experimenting with creating new types of plants. So I sent them a letter asking if they maybe need an intern or something and told them a bit about myself. Professor Sprout sent them a recommendation too, which I didn’t know until they replied to me. They said that they had a great recommendation from my professor and that I can come in during the summer to talk to them more. That I could keep coming in during the summer to see what the work is like and that based on my N.E.W.T.s they could hire me in September.”

“Oh, that’s amazing!” cheered Harry. “You have to show me this shop once we’re in the Diagon Alley. But I think it would be such a good job for you.”

“Yeah, I think so too,” smiled Cedric. “I’m obviously not sure if I want to keep doing it for the rest of my life but I think it’s a good start.”

“It is,” beamed Harry. “Oh, I’m so proud of you.”

“Thank you,” smiled Cedric.

They finished their dinner and then stayed a bit longer just to talk. Harry still heard that voice in his head but decided not to listen to it. He was just so happy about Cedric’s news that no stupid voice in his head was going to ruin it.

“So do you know yet if you’re going to the Grimmauld place straight after the school’s over?” asked Cedric.

“Well, nothing was decided yet, really. Since Dumbledore said nothing before and now he’s gone. I think I’m going to have to go back to Privet Drive for a bit. But I’m hoping I can go to Sirius and Remus soon. They can’t contact me about it either now so I guess I’ll just have to wait.”

“Yeah,” smiled Cedric. “Don’t worry, though, I’m sure it’s going to be fine. I can visit you even at Privet Drive and no one is going to stop me from doing that.”

“I know, thank you,” said Harry.

“Well, it’s pretty late, so I think we should go to sleep,” decided Cedric and Harry nodded. “This was lovely, though, so thank you,” he said and then took a long pause and just watched Harry for a while.

Harry had a feeling he wanted to say something more but nothing ever came out. Cedric kissed him gently instead and then took his hand and they walked out of the kitchens. He walked Harry to the Gryffindor Tower and Harry felt like at the beginning of their friendship in the fourth year.

“Goodnight, then,” Cedric said as he kissed Harry in front of the portrait of the Fat Lady.

“Goodnight,” smiled Harry and hugged Cedric tightly before climbing through the portrait hole and going to bed.

They all spent the weekend by revising for the Potions exam on Monday. Snape was not present for the practical exam and Harry felt much more relaxed, he found. But he was still sure that his potion wasn’t great. On Tuesday it was the Care of Magical Creatures exams and that also meant it was the last one for Cedric. Harry tried really hard on his exam for the sake of Hagrid and he thought that it went quite well in the end. On Tuesday evening, Cedric sat it with them for dinner.

“So, you’re finished now, officially,” Harry beamed at him.

“Yeah,” smiled Cedric. “But we will all celebrate once you’re guys finished too.”

“And how do you feel?” asked Harry.

“Um, pretty good,” said Cedric. “Very tired though. It’s almost like all the hours I neglected sleep to study came back to me now.”

“Well, in that case, I hope you’re going to go to sleep right after dinner.”

“I will,” smirked Cedric.

On Wednesday, Harry had his written Astronomy exam in the morning, then Divination in the afternoon and then practical exam from Astronomy in the evening. Harry was filling his chart for the exam when something happened. The doors of the castle opened directly under the parapet he was standing by. Harry moved his telescope to see. Five or six elongated shadows were moving over the brightly lit grass before the doors swung shut and the lawn became a sea of darkness once more. Harry wanted to focus on doing his Venus chart but he got distracted again when he noticed half a dozen figures walking over the lawn, clearly being led by Umbridge. He didn’t understand but then he heard someone cough behind him and he remembered that he was in the middle of an exam and started focusing on his chart again. But then he heard a distant odd sound, a knock which echoed through the deserted grounds, followed immediately by the muffled barking of a large dog. Harry looked up, his heart hammering, and saw lights on in Hagrid’s windows and the people he had observed crossing the lawn were now silhouetted against them. The door opened and the figures walked in. The door closed again and there was silence. Harry felt uneasy but he felt the Professor looking at him so he went back to his work. Soon, everyone heard a distant roar from the cabin. Everyone went back to work swiftly but Harry glanced at Hermione who now was also looking at Hagrid’s cabin. The Professor reminded them that they only had twenty minutes to go so Hermione quickly went back to work. Harry also came back to his chart. Then, there was a loud BANG echoing from the grounds. Hagrid’s door had burst open and by the light flooding out of the cabin, they saw him quite clearly. It appeared that all the figures around him were attempting to Stun him.

“No!” cried Hermione.

Nobody was paying attention to their charts anymore, they were all watching what was happening on the grounds. Soon, Professor McGonagall appeared on the grounds.

“Leave him alone! _Alone,_ I say!” she said. “On what grounds are you attacking him? He has done nothing, nothing to warrant such –“

Hermione, Parvati and Lavender all screamed. The figures around the cabin had shot no fewer than four Stunners at Professor McGonagall and she landed on her back. Then Hagrid was fighting with them some more until he ran away into the darkness.

After the exam was finally over, they were all shaken. Hermione was incredibly angry with Umbridge. They walked back to the Gryffindor common room where everyone was already discussing the event. Harry was imagining all the terrible ways how to get revenge before he fell asleep.

Their final exam, History of Magic, wouldn’t take place until the afternoon the next day so Harry had time to talk to Cedric after breakfast and tell him everything about what he saw the night before. Cedric, of course, already knew what happened, because news travelled fast in Hogwarts.

“It’s awful,” said Cedric. “I hope someone will give that bitch what she deserves one day.”

The three of them blinked at Cedric, surprised. Ron started to laugh then.

“Never knew Cedric could say bad words,” snorted Ron.

“Well, I’m sorry but sometimes there are no nice words for some people,” said Cedric.

“Oh, don’t worry, we get it,” laughed Harry. “It was just unexpected from you.”

“Are you guys okay, though. I know you were close.”

“We’re worried more or less,” said Harry. “I just hope he’s okay.”

“I hope he’s with Dumbledore,” said Hermione.

“Yeah, me too,” agreed Ron.

“I’m sure it’s not the last time you saw him,” assured Cedric and they all nodded. “Good luck on your last exam, I’ll see you after, okay?” he smiled and kissed Harry before they had to part ways.

Harry found it very hard to focus on his exam in the afternoon. He kept rereading the questions but took none of it in. He tried to think and wrote some things down but then his head was empty again. He put his head in his hands and tried to think. Suddenly, he was walking through the corridor of the Department of Mysteries. He ran through the corridor until he was in the room with the glass spheres. There was something on the floor, a dark shape moving like a wounded animal.

“Take it for me ... lift it down, now ... I cannot touch it ... but you can.”

The black shape on the floor shifted a little and Harry could see a hand clutching a wand. And then he heard the high, cold voice say _“Crucio!”_

The man on the floor screamed in pain, he attempted to stand but failed. Harry was laughing.

“Lord Voldemort is waiting ...”

“You’ll have to kill me,” whispered Sirius.

“Undoubtedly, I shall, in the end,” said the cold voice. “But you will fetch it for me first, Black ... you think you have felt pain thus far? Think again ... we have hours ahead of us and nobody to hear you scream ...”

But somebody screamed. Harry awoke as he hit the ground, still yelling, his scar on fire, as the Great Hall erupted all around him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> SOooo lot of things happened!  
> okay, so in the book Gryffindor wins the Quidditch Cup and I just thought it was a bit unfair since the whole book they ramble on how lousy the team is. So I made Hufflepuff win instead.  
> Harry is an idiot, we knew that. I'm sorry if it looks like a rollercoaster with him but the way I see it is when someone does have these kinds of thoughts they do appear out of nowhere, even when you're having a good time.  
> Hermione is an amazing friend, we also knew that.  
> And oh oh oh main plot happens and it's starting to get rough.
> 
> Thank you so much for reading, hope you enjoyed! I'm hoping to be quicker with the next chapter but can't promise anything because I don't know how my brain is going to work.


	17. The Prophecy

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Kids invade the Ministry!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you all so much for all your lovely support through kudos and comment!!! <3 <3
> 
> Okay, so this chapter is longer than usual. I did take a lot of text out of the book but I also changed quite a bit. I wanted to get this whole Ministry thing out of the way and I didn't want to slice it in two chapters.  
> So enjoy! :)

“I’m not going ... I don’t need the hospital wing ... I don’t want ...,” Harry was gibbering as the professor was looking at him with concern after he helped him out into the Entrance Hall. “I’m – I’m fine, sir,” he stammered, wiping the sweat off his face. “Really ... I just fell asleep ... had a nightmare ...”

The professor asked him if he wanted to finish his exam that was nearly over but Harry just shook his head. The professor nodded and said that Harry should rather go to bed then. Harry agreed and rushed away, straight to the hospital wing. Before he moved anywhere near, though, he ran into Cedric.

“Harry! Where you’re going? You’re not supposed to be finished yet, or am I wrong?”

“Cedric! I – I – I need ... what are you doing here?” Harry stammered.

“I was gonna wait for you in the Entrance Hall to finish your exam,” said Cedric and looked at him worriedly. “What happened?”

“I – I – I need to go see McGonagall!” said Harry quickly and then started running away.

“What? Wait!” Cedric called after him and then followed him.

“I need to see Professor McGonagall,” gasped Harry once he rushed into the hospital wing. “Now ... it’s urgent!”

But it turned out that Professor McGonagall was transferred to St Mungo’s after the four Stunning Spells hit her the night before. Harry didn’t know what to do. There was no one left now. Dumbledore was gone, Hagrid too, and now McGonagall.

“Harry, what happened?” asked Cedric.

 _Ron and Hermione,_ Harry thought and started running again. He faintly heard Cedric call after him again and following him. He rushed back to the Entrance Hall, students were everywhere now and he was pushing past them.

“Harry!” said Hermione and rushed towards him, looking very frightened. “What happened? Are you alright? Are you ill?”

“Okay, what happened, Harry?” gasped Cedric once he caught up to him.

“Where have you been?” demanded Ron.

“Come with me,” Harry said quickly. “Come on, I’ve got to tell you something.”

He started rushing again and once he found an empty classroom, they all hurried inside.

“Harry, what’s wrong?” Cedric rushed towards him and put his hands on his shoulders.

“Voldemort’s got Sirius.”

“What?” they all gasped.

“How d’you -?” asked Cedric.

“Saw it. Just now. When I fell asleep in the exam.”

“But – but where? How?” said Hermione.

“I dunno how,” said Harry. “But I know exactly where. There’s a room in the Department of Mysteries full of shelves covered in these little glass balls and they’re at the end of row ninety-seven ... he’s trying to use Sirius to get whatever it is he wants from in there ... he’s torturing him ... says he’ll end by killing him!”

Harry was shaking, his knees weak and his heartbeat fast. “So, how are we going to get there?” he asked, trying to sound confident.

There was silence for a long while.

“Harry,” said Cedric. “Are you sure this was real?”

“What do you mean?” asked Harry, hurt. “You think I went crazy, don’t you?”

“No, no, no,” Cedric assured him quickly. “I’m just saying that maybe Voldemort is trying to play tricks on you.”

“That’s true, Harry,” said Hermione. “I mean, think about it. How would he get into the Ministry without anyone realizing he was there?”

“How do I know?” Harry shouted. “The question is how _we’re_ going to get in there!”

“Harry, please, calm down,” tried Cedric. “We need to think about this. As Hermione said, Voldemort couldn’t have gone into the Ministry with Sirius of all people without anyone noticing.”

“But he’s Voldemort! So he found a way! I have to get there, I need to save Sirius!” shouted Harry.

“But Harry, how did he get Sirius from Grimmauld Place?” asked Hermione.

“I don’t know, maybe he went for a walk, that’s not the point!” sighed Harry loudly. “I was right about Ron’s dad, remember?”

“He’s got a point,” shrugged Ron.

“But why,” Hermione persisted. “Why on earth would Voldemort want to use _Sirius_ to get the weapon, or whatever the thing is?”

“I dunno, there could be loads of reasons!” Harry yelled at her.

“Well, Sirius’s brother was a Death Eater, wasn’t he?” said Ron. “Maybe he told Sirius how to get the weapon!”

“But that makes no sense!” said Hermione.

“But Harry’s seen him,” said Ron.

“Harry, maybe what Hermione is trying to say is that you should check the facts before you rush off to do something stupid,” said Cedric.

“Saving Sirius is not stupid!” shouted Harry. “He’s being tortured right now, we’re just wasting time discussing this!”

“Harry,” said Hermione calmly. “I think, Cedric is right. I mean think about it, Voldemort knows you by now, don’t you think this would be the easiest way for him to lure you into danger?”

“Sirius might be in danger, don’t you get it? I have no one else but him! I’m not going to risk this because you all think I’m a nutter!”

“Harry, no one thinks that,” Cedric assured him. “But Sirius did tell you to try and close your mind, right? And I know for a fact you haven’t been doing that.”

“You don’t know! You have no idea! What I’m seeing is REAL and you have no idea how that feels! You don’t know what it’s like to be – to be there ... to be,” he was whimpering now, “to be _him_ ... to feel good about ... hurting people ... you don’t get it ... you don’t have to wonder if you’re the bad guy in all of this. If I let him take Sirius away from me too ... if ... I was right and did nothing ... it’s like I’m the bad guy too,” he said.

Harry was shaking now, he was so angry and he couldn’t stop the tears. He didn’t want them to see him cry, it made him feel weak. But it was like he didn’t control his body anymore.

“Harry,” Cedric said quietly. “You’re not the bad guy,” he came to him and squeezed his shoulder but Harry nudged him away.

“Don’t,” he said.

“Okay, I’m sorry,” said Cedric and looked at Ron and Hermione. Hermione had tears in her eyes now too and Ron looked helpless. “You know we trust you, Harry, we do. But if we want to stop Voldemort, we have to be smart about this, okay. We need to check the Grimmauld Place or contact the Order.”

“There’s no time!” objected Harry. “How are we going to do that anyway? McGonagall’s not here, there’s no one left!”

“We could try Umbridge’s fireplace again,” said Ron.

“No, that’s too risky, if she meddles into our business, it’s going to be even harder to leave if we need to,” said Cedric.

“What were you thinking then?” asked Hermione.

“Well ... there is someone from the Order left,” said Cedric.

“No way!” exclaimed Harry. “For all we know he’s just pretending to be in the Order!”

“Harry, Dumbledore trusts Snape for a reason,” said Cedric.

“Yeah, well, maybe Dumbledore is wrong! I don’t trust him!” shouted Harry. “Besides, he’s not going to help _me_ get to _Sirius_ in a million years!”

“You don’t know that,” said Hermione. “Maybe you should try. If he’s in the Order, he’s your only chance.”

“Oh, of course, you’re gonna side with Cedric!” protested Harry.

“Well, I’m sorry but he’s the only reasonable one,” said Hermione.

“You guys were really looking for each other!” Harry growled. “Two goody perfect students!”

“Harry, stop!” said Cedric firmly. “You’re going to calm down and we’re going to talk to Snape, right now! You guys can keep a lookout for Umbridge so she doesn’t bust in there for a random inspection!”

Cedric then took Harry’s hand and dragged him into the dungeons.

“Stop dragging me, I’m not a five-year-old,” said Harry as he managed to free his hand.

“Oh, I’m sorry I got the wrong impression before,” said Cedric.

“Real nice,” snapped Harry. “You know what, why don’t you just let me deal with my ‘typical Harry things’ while you can go off and be the responsible perfect adult your daddy wants you to be!”

“Okay,” sighed Cedric as they stopped in front of Snape’s office. “You can tell me all about how terrible and annoying I am later, okay? First, we’ll deal with this.”

“Okay, fine!” Harry retorted. “You stay here, I’ll talk to him!”

“Oh, no, no, no,” Cedric stopped him. “We’re going to go inside together. You’re going to let me explain, calmly, and we’re going to deal with this together, alright?”

“I don’t need a babysitter!”

“I’m not here to babysit you, for Merlin’s sake! I’m here because for some reason I’m in love with you so just stop bickering already, take my hand and let’s go talk to Snape!” snapped Cedric.

Harry just blinked. Everything was loading in his head.

“Oh my God,” sighed Cedric and took Harry’s hand, then knocked on the office doors and slowly pushed them open. “Er ... Professor Snape?”

Harry just let himself be taken inside the Potion Master’s office. His head felt as if it wasn’t there anymore. _What did Cedric just say? He just said it because he was angry. He can’t be ... no ... it just slipped out because he didn’t know how to shut me up. He can’t be ... I’m horrible to him..._ His train of thoughts was interrupted by Snape.

“Yes, Diggory? And ... Potter?” he sneered. “What do I owe the pleasure?” he said in the most terrible tone.

“Sir, we need your help,” said Cedric. “Harry had a vision,” he nudged Harry forward.

“And how does that concern me?” asked Snape, a complete disgust in his face. “As I can recall, Potter dropped my sessions because he was too incompetent and as I can see he’s not even trying to close his mind now!”

“We know, sir,” said Cedric. “We’re really sorry, but we have no way to contact the Order and we don’t know if Harry’s vision was true or not –“

“It’s Sirius!” Harry blurted out finally. “Voldemort’s got him!”

“Your godfather is the least of my worries, Potter,” Snape snarled.

“Voldemort’s torturing him at the Department of Mysteries! He wants him to get him something from there!” cried Harry.

Snape looked like he was finally interested. He was silent for a while and just watched the two of them. Harry could feel Cedric’s hold on his hand getting tighter.

“Your godfather is at the Grimmauld Place, where he should be, Potter,” said Snape finally. “Voldemort is playing with you because you let him get into your head.”

“But how do you know?” asked Cedric.

“This is none of your concern.”

“Sir, we need to be sure, please,” Cedric tried again.

“Let’s say I have ways of knowing, Diggory,” snapped Snape. “As much as I’d love seeing Black getting tortured, I’m afraid that’s not what’s happening. The Order has some business tonight and that’s all you need to know.”

“What business?” asked Harry.

“It’s sure none of your business, Potter! Your godfather will hopefully keep his nose out of it too. Now leave.”

There was no more talking to Snape so they left his office.

“See, nothing to worry about,” said Cedric in the corridor.

“You seriously trust him? That was not convincing at all!”

“What do you want me to do, Harry?” sighed Cedric.

But before Harry could say anything, Hermione and Ron were running towards them.

“Harry, Cedric!” shouted Hermione.

“You won’t believe what happened!” said Ron.

“What, what’s wrong?” asked Harry. “Why are you covered in blood?”

“Don’t worry, mate. It’s not our blood. It’s Grawp’s,” said Ron.

“What? How?”

“Well, we were on the lookout for Umbridge, you know, in case she comes down here,” said Hermione. “But Malfoy showed up, he wanted to go to Snape.”

“Yeah, so we tried to distract him, so he doesn’t come here, you know,” continued Ron. “And that made him really angry so he said he’s going to take us straight to Umbridge.”

“So we had to go with him and Umbridge started asking us about you because she thought it was weird you weren’t with us,” said Hermione. “So she started asking us all sorts of questions about you and Dumbledore.”

“But we refused to tell her so she said she’s going to use Cruciatus on us to make us talk,” said Ron.

“No!” cried both Harry and Cedric.

“I said it was illegal!” said Hermione. “That she possibly couldn’t. And she said that what Fudge doesn’t see, doesn’t hurt him. That she sent the Dementors on you during summer so Fudge would have a reason to expel you.”

“She did that?” said Harry, surprised. “That old hag!”

“Yeah, well, so she wanted to use the Cruciatus on me and then Hermione said that she’s going to take her to Dumbledore’s weapon if she wants to. And Umbridge agreed, obviously.”

“I only said it because she was going to torture you, Ron! I didn’t plan anything!” cried Hermione.

“Well, it was brilliant anyway,” said Ron. “Because Hermione led her to the Forbidden Forest and before we know it there are all these centaurs and Umbridge is shouting at them so they start attacking her. And then they take her away!”

“Ronald, we still don’t know where they took her, even if she is so terrible, we shouldn’t hope they hurt her or something,” said Hermione.

“Well, yeah, but ...” shrugged Ron. “Anyway, we thought it was over but then the centaurs started attacking us for bringing her there and we were trying to escape and then the most amazing thing happened!”

“Grawp saved us!” beamed Hermione. “He remembered my name and he was asking where Hagrid was.”

“Yeah, the centaurs attacked him too, so there was his blood spraying everywhere,” explained Ron. “But he helped us escape.”

“So Umbridge is gone?” asked Cedric.

“Well, I don’t think she’s gone forever,” said Ron.

“Yes and I really don’t want to be here when she comes back,” said Hermione. “What did Snape say?”

“He said that there was no need to worry and that we should mind our business,” said Cedric.

“He said the Order has a mission tonight,” said Harry. He felt a small jab of pain in his scar but didn’t say anything.

“Yes but if he says there’s no need to worry ...,” drawled Hermione.

“But it’s Snape,” said Ron. “Can we trust him?”

“Dumbledore does,” reminded Hermione.

“I don’t,” said Harry and he felt his scar twitch in pain again, his expression hardened.

“What’s wrong?” asked Cedric.

“My scar ... that’s why I don’t trust him ... it still hurts.”

“Well, Umbridge is gone for a while, maybe we can try her fireplace to call Sirius,” suggested Cedric.

Harry nodded and they all walked up to Umbridge’s office. Harry refused to think about anything else but Sirius. Nothing else was more important now. And certainly not the thing that Cedric said and definitely didn’t mean. Or the way he still didn’t let go of Harry’s hand, not even for a second. Or the way he looked like he regretted saying the thing he said. Or the fact that his eyes didn’t look at Harry properly since he said that thing that Harry was sure he said by a mistake. Both Hermione and Ron eyed them strangely too and Harry kept repeating _Sirius, Sirius, Sirius,_ in his head so he wouldn’t think about anything else.

Once they were in Umbridge’s office, it was decided that Ron and Hermione will keep a lookout again and Cedric will stay with Harry while he makes the call through the fire.

“Sirius,” he shouted. “Sirius, are you there?”

There was no answer. He heard some noise in the distance.

“Who’s there?” he called.

Kreacher crept into the view.

“Where’s Sirius, Kreacher?” Harry demanded.

The house-elf gave a wheezy chuckle.

“The master has gone out, Harry Potter.”

“Where is he gone? _Where is he gone, Kreacher?_ ”

Kreacher merely cackled.

“I’m warning you!” shouted Harry. “What about Remus?”

“Nobody here but Kreacher!” said the elf gleefully.

“Where has Sirius gone? Kreacher, has he gone to the Department of Mysteries?”

“Master doesn’t tell Kreacher where he is going,” said the elf quietly.

“But you know!” shouted Harry. “You know, don’t you?”

There was a long silence and then the elf started laughing.

“Master will not come back from the Department of Mysteries,” he said gleefully. “Kreacher and his mistress are alone again!”

And with that, the elf ran off. Harry abruptly stepped away from the fireplace.

“I have to go there! I have to get to the Ministry!” he shouted.

“Why? What happened?” Cedric asked as he grabbed Harry by his shoulders to calm him down.

“He’s not there! Sirius ... he’s not there! Kreacher said he’s not going to come back from the Department of Mysteries!” panted Harry.

“Kreacher? But Kreacher is mad, Harry,” said Cedric.

“But he wasn’t there!” Harry yelled. “I have to go to the Ministry!”

“But Snape said he was alright,” Cedric tried again to calm Harry down.

“Fuck what Snape said! He doesn’t care about me or Sirius!”

“Are you sure you want to trust Kreacher over Snape?”

“He wasn’t there!” Harry repeated. “I’m going to the Ministry. I bet I can get my broom from the dungeons somehow.”

“Okay,” Cedric sighed. “We’ll go. But we’ll just check for Sirius and then go straight back, alright?”

“What? No, you’re not going,” said Harry. “I’m going alone.”

“What?” blinked Cedric.

“It’s dangerous, it’s better if I go alone.”

“Harry, if you want to run towards danger because you’re playing the hero again, that’s fine. I might not like it but it’s fine. But you’re sure as hell not going to do it alone. I said it before, we’re going to do this together,” said Cedric.

“But-,” Harry protested.

“No buts!” Cedric said firmly. “I’m tired of this! I might think this is a stupid decision but I’m here to support all your stupid decisions, okay. That’s final.”

Harry looked like he wanted to argue more but Cedric just grabbed his hand and dragged him to meet Ron and Hermione outside the office. After they told them their plan, they obviously insisted on coming with them too. Hermione didn’t look pleased with the decision of invading the Ministry but also was determined to not let Harry go alone.

“Are you sure that broom is the best idea, though?” she asked. “It might not be very quick.”

“What else do you suggest?” asked Ron.

“Well, I read more about Thestrals at the beginning of the year,” Hermione said. “They are incredibly fast and have a good sense of direction. If the flier knows where he wants to go, Thestral will sense it and fly there.”

“But how can we fly something we can’t see?” asked Ron.

“Actually, you can still touch them, even if you don’t see them,” said Hermione.

“And I can see them,” Harry said. “So I can guide you.”

It was decided then. They rushed to the edge of the Forest. It was fairly easy to attract the Thestrals because both Ron and Hermione were covered in blood from their previous incident in the Forest. Once there were four Thestrals for them Harry helped them all to get on them. When they were all clutching to their Thestral, Harry climbed on the last one.

“Okay,” he said. “Er ... Ministry of Magic, visitors’ entrance ... if you know where to go.”

For a moment the Thestral did nothing at all. Then all of a sudden, all four of them were in the air. Harry could see the Hogwarts grounds under them as the creature moved swiftly through the air. He missed flying so much, he realised. But now was not a time to think about that. He was thinking about Sirius.

“Never again,” said Ron once they were on the ground again and he struggled off the horse.

They all rushed to the telephone box that was next to them. They squeezed themselves inside and Ron, who was the closest to the receiver, dialled the right numbers to get in the Ministry.

“Welcome to the Ministry of Magic. Please state your name and business,” said a cool female voice through the phone.

“Harry Potter, Ron Weasley, Hermione Granger and Cedric Diggory,” Harry said very quickly. “We’re here to save someone unless your Ministry can do it first!”

“Thank you,” said the cool female voice. “Visitors, please take the badges and attach them to the front of your robes.”

Four badges slid out of the metal chute where returned coins normally appeared. Hermione scooped them up and handed them mutely to Harry. He glanced at the topmost one, _Harry Potter, Rescue Mission._

“Visitors to the Ministry, you are required to submit to a search and present your wands for registration at the security desk, which is located at the far end of the Atrium.”

“Fine!” Harry said loudly, as his scar gave another throb. “Now can we _move?_ ”

Then the telephone box moved and they were descending to the Ministry.

“The Ministry of Magic wishes you a pleasant evening,” said the woman’s voice once the doors burst open.

There was no one around. The only sound was coming from the rush of the water from the golden fountain. They sprinted down the hall, Harry in the lead, past the fountain towards the desk where the watch wizard who had weighed Harry’s wand had sat, and which was now deserted. They ran towards the elevator and as soon as the cool female voice said “Department of Mysteries” and the doors of the elevator opened again, they rushed out into the hallway. Harry turned to the plain black door. After months and months of dreaming about it, he was here at last. They walked towards the door and it swung forward.

They were standing in a large circular room. Everything in here was black. Around them were a dozen doors here. Harry was trying to decide which door was the right one when the circular wall started rotating. Hermione grabbed onto Ron’s arm as if frightened the floor might move too, but it didn’t. Then just as suddenly as the wall started moving, it stopped.

“What was that about?” whispered Ron fearfully.

“I think it was to stop us knowing which door we came in through,” said Cedric in a hushed voice.

“Where do we go then, Harry?” asked Ron.

“I don’t -,” Harry began. He swallowed. “In the dreams, I went through the door at the end of the corridor from the lifts into a dark room – that’s this one – and then I went through another door into a room that kind of ... glitters. We should try a few doors,” he said hastily. “I’ll know the right way when I see it. C’mon.”

They tried a bunch of different doors, all of them containing very strange rooms until they opened one that led into a large room. The centre of the room was sunken, forming a great stone pit some twenty feet deep. There was also a raised stone dais in the centre of the pit, on which stood a stone archway that looked so ancient, cracked and crumbling that Harry was amazed the thing was still standing. The archway was hung with a tattered black curtain or veil which was fluttering very slightly.

“Who’s there?” said Harry, jumping down on the bench below. There was no answering voice, but the veil continued to flutter and sway.

“Careful!” whispered Hermione.

Harry walked slowly toward the veil. He had the strangest feeling that someone was standing behind the veil on the other side of the archway.

“Let’s go,” called Hermione. “This isn’t right, Harry, come on, let’s go.”

She sounded scared and Harry wanted to do as she said. He didn’t want her to be scared. But he couldn’t leave. He was fascinated by the veil. There was something beautiful yet strange about it.

“Harry, let’s go, OK?” said Hermione more forcefully.

“Okay,” he said but did not move. He had just heard something. There were faint whispering, murmuring noises coming from the other side of the veil.

“What are you saying?” he said, very loudly.

“Nobody’s talking, Harry!” said Hermione.

“Someone’s whispering behind there,” he said. “Can’t anyone else hear it?”

“I can hear them too,” said Cedric, who was also focused on the veil. “There are people _in there!_ ”

“Harry, we are supposed to be here for Sirius!” Hermione said and came to grab Harry’s arm to drag him away.

“Sirius,” Harry repeated, still gazing at the veil. “Yeah ... let’s go.”

They walked back to the circular room. The walls spun again and then stopped. Harry approached another door at random and pushed. It did not move. Hermione tried to use _Alohomora_ but it was no use. Harry then remembered that he had the knife Sirius gave him on Christmas and pulled it out. The knife didn’t work either and what was more it completely melted inside of the lock. They decided to try a different door then.

The next door was the one. Harry knew it in an instant. Once the door slid open, they could see the diamond-sparkling light. They walked down the corridor towards another door. As they opened them, Harry glanced around them and they all seemed anxious. The room was filled with towering shelves covered in small, dusty, glass orbs. It was very cold in there too. They walked down between the aisles.

“You said it was row ninety-seven,” whispered Hermione.

“Yeah,” breathed Harry.

They walked between the aisles, looking for the row ninety-seven. Harry was listening for any sounds that would say that Sirius was there, but it was utter silence. Finally, they reached the row ninety-seven.

“He’s right down at the end,” said Harry.

He led them between the towering rows of glass balls, some of which glowed as they passed.

“He should be near here,” whispered Harry. “Anywhere here ... really close ...”

“Harry?” said Hermione tentatively.

“Somewhere about ... here ...” he said.

They were at the end of the row now. Cedric came to Harry’s side and took his hand.

“I don’t think Sirius is here, Harry,” Cedric said quietly.

The silence that followed was deafening. It was practically screaming in Harry’s head. He didn’t understand. This was where he had seen him. He felt sick and very confused. He let go of Cedric’s hand and ran back up the row, looking between the aisles to make sure Sirius wasn’t hidden somewhere. But there was no sign of him. Cedric ran up to Harry and carefully grabbed him by the shoulders.

“Harry, it’s okay,” he whispered. “It’s good he’s not here, it means he’s safe. So we can leave now. It’s going to be okay, sweetie.”

“I ... I don’t understand,” said Harry in a shaky voice.

“It’s alright, come on,” said Cedric and kissed Harry’s forehead.

“Harry,” called Ron. “This one’s got your name on it.”

Harry looked at what Ron was pointing at. It was one of the glass spheres that glowed with a dull inner light. He stepped towards it and read the label affixed to it. It said:

_S.P.T. to A.P.W.B.D._

_Dark Lord and (?) Harry Potter_

Hermione said that he shouldn’t touch it but Harry felt something odd shift inside him. He grabbed the ball and he stared at it. Nothing happened. And then, from right behind them, a drawling voice spoke.

“Very good, Potter. Now turn around, nice and slowly, and give that to me.”

Black shapes were emerging out of thin air all around them, blocking their way left and right.

“To me, Potter,” repeated the voice of Lucius Malfoy.

“Where’s Sirius?” Harry said. He felt sick. He looked around, Cedric was still by his side as was Ron and Hermione and they all were gripping tightly to their wands.

Several of the Death Eater laughed; a harsh female voice from the midst of the shadowy figures to Harry’s left said triumphantly, “The Dark Lord always knows!”

“Always,” echoed Malfoy softly. “Now, give me the prophecy, Potter.”

“I want to know where Sirius is!”

“ _I want to know where Sirius is!_ ” mimicked the woman on his left. “ _The little baby woke up fwightened and fort what it dweamed was twoo._ ”

“It’s time you learned the difference between life and dreams, Potter,” said Malfoy. “Now give me the prophecy and no one needs to get hurt.”

Harry laughed.

“Yeah, right!” he said. “I give you this – prophecy, is it? And you’ll just let us skip off home, will you?”

The woman turned out to be Bellatrix Lestrange, Harry recognized her from the Daily Prophet. She tried to take the prophecy away from him by casting _Accio_ but Harry cast a quick _Protego_ to stop her. That made her angry and she was getting ready to attack him but Malfoy stopped her.

“I TOLD YOU NO!” his voice roared. “If you smash it –.”

Harry gripped the glass ball tighter. He had no interest in it before but now that the Death Eaters seemed to want it he had no intention of leaving it here or giving it to them. But he did want for everyone to get back safe, which he feared was out of option now.

“So, said Harry. “What kind of prophecy are we talking about, anyway?”

He had to keep talking. The Death Eaters were so close to them and they were only four. There was no way they could get out of this in one piece.

“What kind of prophecy?” repeated Bellatrix. “You jest, Harry Potter.”

“How come Voldemort wants it?” asked Harry, his eyes flickering between the Death Eaters, looking for a way to escape.

Several of the Death Eaters let out low hisses.

“You dare to speak his name?” whispered Bellatrix.

Then Bellatrix cast _Stupefy_ on them but Malfoy had deflected it. The Death Eaters were closing around them and Malfoy was shouting at them to not attack because they would break the prophecy. Harry tried asking again about the prophecy and Lucius Malfoy didn’t believe that Harry knew nothing about it.

“Dumbledore never told you the reason you bear that scar was hidden in the bowels of the Department of Mysteries?” Malfoy sneered.

“So Voldemort wanted me to come here and get it, did he? Why?”

“Why?” Malfoy laughed. “Because the only people who are permitted to retrieve a prophecy from the Department of Mysteries, Potter, are those about whom it was made, as the Dark Lord discovered when he attempted to use others to steal it for him.”

“And why did he want to steal a prophecy about me?”

“About both of you, Potter, about both of you ... haven’t you ever wondered why the Dark Lord tried to kill you as a baby?”

Harry kept talking to distract them. Then they all shouted _Reducto_ to different directions and the shelves opposite them exploded as they hit; the towering structure swayed as a hundred glass spheres burst apart. And then they were running and more spheres kept falling. The Death Eaters were close after them, shouting curses at them. They shouted curses back and kept running. They ran into some office and some of the Death Eaters followed them there. Harry was knocked to the ground several times, he had no time to see what happened to the others. The Death Eaters wanted to shout to the others their location but Hermione silenced them. Then Harry cast _Petrificus Totalus_ on one of them but the other sent a spell at Hermione and she collapsed to the floor.

 _Don’t let her be dead, don’t let her be dead,_ Harry kept thinking as he saw her lying there motionlessly. Cedric quickly cast another _Petrificus Totalus_ at the Death Eater and then they all gathered around Hermione. She was still warm and there was a definite pulse so she was alive. Harry felt a huge wave of relief flow through him.

“We’re not far from the exit,” Harry said. “We’re right next to the circular room.”

“I’ll take Hermione,” said Ron. “I’m sure we can get into the lift.”

They crept out of the office, Ron carrying Hermione and Harry and Cedric on either of his sides to protect them. But then one of the doors burst open and Bellatrix Lestrange sped in with three other Death Eaters. They started running, Harry and Cedric sending stunning and protection spells. They ran towards the door. More and more Death Eaters showed up. They flew through the doors but the floor in the room seemed to vanish. Harry was falling down on steep stone steps. He landed flat on his back. He was in the room with the veil.

He got up quickly and realised he was alone. His legs were trembling but the prophecy was still miraculously unbroken. He looked around. The Death Eaters were around him and Ron, Hermione and Cedric were all captured by them.

“Potter, your race is run,” drawled Lucius Malfoy, “now hand me the prophecy like a good boy.”

“Let – let the others go, and I’ll give it to you!” said Harry desperately.

“You’re not in a position to bargain, Potter,” said Lucius Malfoy.

Bellatrix raised her wand. “ _Crucio!_ ”

Cedric screamed, almost falling to the ground. Harry felt his heart shattering into a million pieces. _No, no, no, not again._

“That was just a taster!” said Bellatrix. “Now, Potter, either give us the prophecy or watch your little friend die the hard way!”

Harry was ready to hand over the prophecy. There was no other choice. Malfoy jumped forwards to take it. But then the door burst open and five more people sprinted into the room: Sirius, Remus, Moody, Tonks and Kingsley. Tonks had swiftly sent a Stunning Spell at Malfoy. The other Death Eaters were completely distracted by the members of the Order showing that they let them go. He crawled to Cedric and looked up at Ron, who held Hermione again.

“Are you alright?” he asked Cedric.

“Yeah,” Cedric nodded. “You?”

“Yeah, we need to get out of here.”

Cedric nodded and they started crawling to the door to escape but the Death Eaters came after them. Harry could see Sirius sending spells at them but they still focus mostly on Harry and the prophecy. Both Harry and Cedric kept sending Stunning Spells at them to shield Ron who was holding Hermione, who was still unconscious.

“Harry, get the prophecy and get out of here!” Sirius shouted at them as he ran to their side.

But Lucius Malfoy didn’t give up. He appeared almost out of nowhere, determined to get the prophecy. Harry and Cedric were separated and Lucius was jabbing his wand into Harry’s ribs.

“Give me the prophecy, Potter!”

“Cedric – catch it!”

Harry threw the glass ball to Cedric who scooped it to his chest. Malfoy pointed his wand at Cedric now but Harry cast _Impedimenta_ at him and Malfoy was blasted off his back. Harry rushed to Cedric and they started running towards the door. But one of the Death Eaters sent a Stunning Spell and hit Cedric with it. Cedric fell to the ground and before Harry could do anything, the glass ball fell to the floor and shattered.

Harry tried to haul Cedric off the ground but as he was bigger than him it was harder than he thought it would be. He slowly tried to get them both to the door but he couldn’t do it. Suddenly, Sirius appeared by his side, sending protecting spells around them.

“I can’t carry him,” shouted Harry, his voice breaking.

Remus appeared on his other side, fighting off the Death Eaters.

“Sirius!” Remus shouted as he sent a protecting spell at him as Bellatrix sent _Crucio_ at Sirius. “Get them out of here!”

Then, all of a sudden, Dumbledore appeared. He sped past them and straight between the Death Eaters who now seemed to think about retreating.

“Get them out of here, now!” shouted Remus.

“But-,” protested Sirius.

“I’m not losing you again and Harry can’t carry Cedric alone!” cried Remus. “For once in your life, listen to me!”

Sirius nodded. “If you die, I’m going to kill you!” he shouted and then crawled to Harry.

He helped him haul Cedric up and then they hurried towards the door that Ron and Hermione already ran through. They ran out of the door and not long after they were in the Atrium. Harry felt relieved. They were going to get out of here soon and they were alive. Ron and Hermione were already by the telephone box and Ron turned at them.

“Just go!” shouted Sirius. “We’ll be there soon!”

Ron nodded and took Hermione inside the telephone box and soon they were gone. _Safe,_ Harry thought.

Suddenly he felt a terrible screeching laughter echo through the Atrium. Bellatrix ran up to them.

“Give me the prophecy, Potty!” she shouted.

Sirius sent a Stunning Spell at her but she escaped from it.

“Is that all you can do, cousin?” she said in a mocking voice and then sent a spell at Harry. Sirius pushed Harry away so the spell hit him instead. He quickly collapsed to the floor.

“NO!” cried Harry. “Sirius!”

“Aaaah ... did I hurt Sirius, little baby Potter?” she mocked. “Give me the prophecy!”

Harry quickly checked Sirius and he could see that he was still alive. It must have been the same spell that hit Hermione before. But now, Harry had no chance of getting them out of there. Both Sirius and Cedric were lying on the floor, motionlessly.

“Potter, I’m going to give you one chance!” shouted Bellatrix. “Give me the prophecy – and I may spare your life!”

“Well, you’re going to have to kill me, because it’s gone!” Harry shouted. He felt his scar hurting again, it was on fire. “And he knows! Your dear old mate Voldemort knows it’s gone! He’s not going to be happy with you, is he?”

“What? What do you mean?” she cried, and for the first time, there was fear in her voice.

“The prophecy smashed when one of your dear Death Eaters stunned Cedric! What do you think Voldemort’ll say about that, then?”

“LIAR!” she shrieked. “YOU’VE GOT IT, POTTER, AND YOU WILL GIVE IT TO ME! _Accio prophecy! ACCIO PROPHECY!_ ”

“Nothing there!” he laughed. “Nothing to summon! It smashed and nobody heard what it said, tell your boss that!”

“No!” she screamed. “It isn’t true, you’re lying! MASTER, I TRIED, I TRIED – DO NOT PUNISH ME –.”

“Don’t waste your breath!” yelled Harry. “He can’t hear you from here!”

“Can’t I, Potter?” said a high cold voice.

Lord Voldemort had appeared in the middle of the hall, his wand pointing at Harry who stood frozen, quite unable to move.

Then Bellatrix started apologizing but Voldemort paid her no attention. He was looking at Harry with pure hatred in his eyes and Harry could not move. And as Voldemort cast _Avada Kedavra_ Harry was sure this was the end this time. But then a statue flew in front of Harry and the spell glanced off it. Dumbledore appeared in the Atrium.

Dumbledore sent Harry to stay with Cedric and Sirius while he fought Voldemort. Sirius was still unconscious but Cedric was slowly waking up. As he opened his eyes, Harry motioned to him to stay where he was. The fight was filled with spells Harry has never seen before. And then, all of a sudden, Voldemort disappeared. Harry got up to walk towards Dumbledore.

“Stay where you are, Harry!” Dumbledore bellowed, sounding frightened.

Then Harry’s scar burst open and he was in so much pain he was sure he was dying. Then he felt himself speak.

_“Kill me now, Dumbledore ...”_

_Let the pain stop,_ Harry thought. _Just kill me, end it, death is nothing compared to this._ _But if I die, I’ll never see Cedric again._

And as Harry’s heart filled with emotion, the pain was gone. Harry was lying face down on the floor. Dumbledore was towering over him.

“Are you alright, Harry?”

“Yes,” said Harry, shaking so violently he could not hold his head up properly. “Yeah, I’m – where’s Voldemort, where – who are all these – what’s - .”

The Atrium was full of people now. Cedric was at his side now too and helped him up. Harry could see Sirius in his dog form, lying on the ground and Remus by his side. Remus must have changed him into a dog so no one would recognize him because Sirius still seemed to be unconscious.

Then people were shouting about Voldemort and how they saw him here. And Fudge seemed to be so distressed. He wanted Dumbledore to tell them everything but Dumbledore insisted to send Harry and Cedric back to Hogwarts. Then Harry and Cedric were given a Portkey and soon they were back at Hogwarts, in Dumbledore’s office.

“How do you feel?” Cedric asked as soon as they landed. “Are you okay?” he was gripping Harry’s shoulders and looking into his face as if searching for any signs of discomfort Harry might be having.

“I’m fine, I think,” said Harry in a low voice. “What about you?”

“I’m okay,” Cedric assured him.

“And Sirius?”

“He was still unconscious when Remus arrived. It was like a second before the Atrium filled with people. He changed him into his Animagus so nobody would notice him hopefully. I’m sure they’ll be okay.”

“Good, good,” Harry nodded.

There was silence for a while. Then Harry felt the tears coming into his eyes and he collapsed onto Cedric.

“I’m so sorry,” he whimpered. “You were right, it was a stupid decision, I just put everyone in danger.”

“Shhh, now,” hushed Cedric and put his arms around Harry. “We’re okay, everyone is okay. Nothing that happened today was your fault, Harry.”

“But it was, I’m so stupid, I should’ve listened to you,” Harry sniffled.

“The important thing is that we’re okay,” whispered Cedric and kissed Harry’s head. “We can talk about this when we’re less emotionally exhausted, okay?”

Harry nodded and sniffled some more.

Soon, Dumbledore emerged through the fireplace.

“Well, Harry, Cedric,” said Dumbledore. “First, I should tell you that Miss Granger and Mister Weasley are back at school now, both in the hospital wing, but none of them has any lasting damage.”

Harry nodded, unable to say anything.

“Madam Pomfrey is patching everybody up. Sirius and Remus are back at Grimmauld Place and your godfather will be in full health soon enough too.”

Harry was quiet. He suddenly felt so angry at Dumbledore. For disappearing, for not telling him anything, for reappearing as if nothing happened and talking to him like he hadn’t ignored him for the past year.

“Perhaps, it’s better if Harry gets some rest now, Professor,” said Cedric as he sensed Harry’s discomfort.

“Ah, you may go, Mister Diggory, but Harry and I need to discuss something first,” said Dumbledore.

“No,” said Harry. “If you have something to say, Cedric stays with me.”

Dumbledore raised an eyebrow and then only nodded.

“Your scar,” said Dumbledore, “is giving you warnings when Voldemort is close to you, or else feeling a powerful emotion.”

“I know,” said Harry.

“And this ability of yours – to detect Voldemort’s presence, even when he is disguised, and to know what he is feeling when his emotions are roused – has become more and more pronounced since Voldemort returned to his own body and his full powers. More recently, I became concerned that Voldemort might realise that this connection between you exists. You must have been wondering why it wasn’t me who started teaching you Occlumency. Why had I not so much as looked at you for months?”

“Yeah,” Harry mumbled and felt Cedric squeeze his hand. “Yeah, I wondered.”

“You see,” Dumbledore continued. “I believed it could not be long before Voldemort attempted to force his way into your mind, to manipulate and misdirect your thoughts, and I was not eager to give him more incentives to do so. I was sure that if he realised that our relationship was – or had ever been – closer than of headmaster and pupil, he would seize his chance to use you as a means to spy on me. I feared the uses of which he would put you, the possibility that he might try and possess you. Harry, I believe I was right to think that Voldemort would have made use of you in such a way. On those rare occasions when we had close contact, I thought I saw a shadow of him stir behind your eyes ...”

Harry felt sick at that. He felt Cedric’s hand grip him tighter as Cedric felt Harry’s emotions rage through him.

“So you see, I have been trying, in distancing myself from you, to protect you, Harry. An old man’s mistake ...”

He sighed deeply. Harry just nodded, not knowing what to say. He wished Dumbledore would just tell him all this at the beginning of the school year. Dumbledore kept talking, explaining that Kreacher had lied to Harry and that he’d been serving Narcissa Malfoy now too. Professor Snape apparently contacted the Order as soon as Harry left his office and told them about Harry’s dream and that he suspected Harry might go to the Ministry.

And then Dumbledore told him everything. About how he was protected by blood magic by staying with the Dursleys. And about how he cared too much about Harry to tell him the truth. The truth about the prophecy. About how Harry was destined to defeat Lord Voldemort.

“Neither of them can live while the other one survives,” Harry repeated the end of the prophecy. “Does that mean one of us has to kill the other?”

“I’m afraid so,” said Dumbledore sadly.

“Maybe we should get some sleep now,” said Cedric, who was quiet the whole time. He looked disturbed.

“Of course,” said Dumbledore.

“Wait, I want to know,” said Harry. “Do I really have to stay with the Dursleys this summer? Surely since the Grimmauld Place is the headquarters of the Order, it is safe for me to stay too.”

Dumbledore sighed.

“I already discussed this with Sirius and Remus,” he said. “It’s been decided that after the school year’s over, you will stay at the Dursleys for a week and then Sirius and Remus, as your new guardians will come and get you. You will move to Grimmauld Place and stay there.”

“Really?”

“Yes, I realise that after everything you’ve been through, you deserve to live with people who love you,” Dumbledore said. “I was in charge of putting extra wards on Grimmauld Place so I believe it should be safe enough for you to stay. But you need to promise me not to be reckless.”

“I promise,” Harry nodded.

With that, he and Cedric left Dumbledore’s office. They walked up to the seventh floor and Cedric was taking Harry to the Gryffindor Tower.

“Wait,” said Harry. “Come with me.”

He led Cedric to the Room of Requirement instead.

“Stay with me,” he said. “Please.”

Cedric smiled and nodded. The Room of Requirement turned into a cosy bedroom. They climbed into the bed and Harry clutched to Cedric tightly.

“I’m sorry,” he whispered.

“Don’t,” said Cedric. “Get some sleep now, we’ll talk about everything later,” he whispered.

Harry felt Cedric’s arms around him tighten, the warm of his body enclosing him. Cedric pressed a soft kiss to his hair and soon Harry could feel sleep overcoming him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay, so until like two weeks ago, I planned to follow the canon here, and let Sirius die. Because I thought that since I saved Cedric, I should let the story continue as it goes in the books. But then I talked to my friend, who doesn't read fanfics but supports everything I do (she is amazing) and she asked me about what was happening in my fanfic. So I said what the plan was. And she said that I should let Sirius live. And I thought about it more and then I said to myself: YOU KNOW WHAT IT'S CORONA TIME WE'RE ALL SAD SO LET'S AT LEAST HAVE SIRIUS ALIVE.  
> So yeah.  
> It was kinda hard to figure out how to do it because I still wanted Harry to go to the Ministry and fight because I think it's important for the story. So I hope it worked out well.  
> Thank you all for reading!! :)  
> I hope you're all safe and well! :)


	18. Step into the New Beginnings

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The school's over and that means a few changes for Harry.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you guys all so much for the kudos and comments, it really makes my day! I'm so glad you are enjoying my story :)  
> I wasn't really sure with this chapter, it's kind of slow, but I think it's important for the story to go forward, so I hope you like it!  
> We're gonna be in sixth year soon, wohoo!

Sirius woke up in what he realised was his bed in Grimmauld Place. He sat up on the bed and blinked. The blinds were shut but it seemed that it was light outside. Remus was sitting on the sofa that was in the far corner of the room. He was asleep with a book resting open on his chest. _Must have slept for a long time if Moony fell asleep to a book,_ Sirius thought and smiled to himself. His body was sore and it felt like all his energy was drained away from him. He quietly got up and crept out of the room. Every step he took hurt his body but he needed to stretch a little bit. He walked slowly to the kitchen, made tea and prepared some quick sandwiches. Then he put everything on a tray and walked back to the bedroom. He put the tray on the table by the sofa and then carefully sat down next to Remus.

“Moony,” he whispered and put the book away from Remus’s chest.

“....hm...,” Remus mumbled.

“You’re going to have sore back if you sleep here again,” said Sirius.

“...what?” Remus mumbled again and slowly opened his eyes. “Sirius?” then he quickly sat up straight. “You’re awake! How-how long? Are you okay?”

“Calm down,” smiled Sirius. “I’m alright. I made us some food, thought you’d be hungry.”

“Oh. Well, you should’ve woke me up, I’d have done it,” rambled Remus.

“ _Oh, thank you, Sirius, how very thoughtful of you, I am so lucky to have a boyfriend like you,”_ said Sirius in a mocking voice.

“Alright, alright,” laughed Remus. “Thank you.”

“How long was I out?” asked Sirius as they ate their food.

“Well, we got back here after midnight, and now ... it’s like late afternoon ... so pretty much the whole day.”

“Is Harry okay? What happened?”

“He’s alright,” said Remus but there was worry in his voice.

“What is it? What happened?” Sirius asked with a frown on his face.

“Well, I got there late,” said Remus. “When I got there it was almost over. And you were there lying on the ground, I thought ... I thought ....,” his voice was shaking. “And Harry was on the ground too and he was talking in a strange voice ... and ... he ... he was telling Dumbledore to kill him,” tears were glimmering in his eyes now.

“Was he ... _there?_ ” Sirius asked, his voice shaking now too and he took Remus’s hand in his own.

Remus nodded.

“I can’t believe this,” whispered Sirius. “I was supposed to protect him.”

“You did what you could. For all, we know if you didn’t push Harry away from that curse, Bellatrix might have killed you and then taken Harry to You-Know-Who and he would have killed him.”

“I should have been smarter about it,” said Sirius.

“It ended the best way it could,” Remus assured him and squeezed his hand.

“What happened exactly then?”

“After you were cursed, You-Know-Who showed up. Dumbledore got there quickly to protect Harry, luckily. They fought for some time until .... he disappeared ... and somehow got into Harry’s head. That’s when I got there too. And Harry must have fought him in his head because after some time, he was gone. That’s when all the Aurors started showing up. I changed you into Padfoot so they wouldn’t notice you.”

“Thank you,” smiled Sirius.

“I wasn’t going to let them take you away from me again,” said Remus. “Anyway, then Harry woke up, obviously confused. Cedric was awake at this point too. Fudge was there and wanted to talk to him but Dumbledore sent both Harry and Cedric back to Hogwarts.”

“I wish I was there for him,” said Sirius.

“Me too,” Remus smiled sadly. “After we came back here, Madam Pomfrey came to check on you. Bellatrix used some kind of a dark curse, we’re not really sure what it was but it seemed like a very strong stunning curse. She’ll come to check up on you again in a few days to make sure it didn’t leave anything permanent.”

“I feel fine,” Sirius said dismissively.

“Dumbledore was also here when you were unconscious.”

“What did he say?”

“He talked to Harry. About everything. Told him about the prophecy.”

“Thank Merlin,” sighed Sirius. “Did he tell you what the prophecy was about too?”

“Yes,” nodded Remus and his voice trembled.

“What is it, Moony?”

“Harry is the one that has to kill Voldemort,” Remus said almost inaudibly. “Neither of them can live while the other one survives.”

“Fuck,” Sirius sighed in a frustrated voice. “There has to be another way!”

“There isn’t,” said Remus. “I already talked to Dumbledore.”

“Shit!” Sirius cursed again and put his head in his hands.

“We’re just going to make sure Harry survives,” said Remus. “We’ll be there for him and help him in any way possible.”

“Yeah, well. He’s still never going to have a normal life as he deserves.”

“I know. But we can make sure he gets something as closest to it as he can,” smiled Remus.

“Did you talk to Dumbledore about the summer again?”

“I wanted to,” said Remus. “I was ready to put up another fight with him. But I really didn’t have to.”

“How come?”

“I think Dumbledore feels a bit guilty about how things happened this year. So he himself told me that he decided Harry can come here this summer,” smiled Remus.

“Really?” asked Sirius, his voice hopeful.

“Yes. Dumbledore will put some extra wards on the house. And of course, Harry can’t wander off too much. Harry will go to the Dursleys for a week after the school’s over, so he can get ready. And then we can go pick him up and move him here.”

“Merlin! Finally!” exclaimed Sirius. “Well, we have to start getting ready!” he got up and started pacing the room. “We have to prepare a room for him, he has to have his own room! We have to clean the whole house. And buy some nice things. What do teenagers like?”

“Calm down, darling,” Remus laughed and came over to Sirius. “You know he stayed here before. It’s going to be fine.”

“I know. I just want him to feel like he has a proper home now. A family.”

“And he will,” Remus smiled and kissed him. “He’s going to love it here, don’t worry.”

“You’re right,” sighed Sirius. “Of course, you’re right.”

“Come on, you need to rest a bit more,” Remus said and walked them both to the bed. “And I promise you that once you’re in full health, we’re going to start preparing everything for Harry.”

“Okay, I’m going to stop being dramatic,” said Sirius as they both lay down.

“Never stop being dramatic, Pads,” Remus said and put his arms around him. “It’s one of the reasons I love you.”

Sirius kissed him gently and then put his head comfortably on Remus’s chest. Remus kissed the top of Sirius’s head. They both were slowly drifting into a deep sleep.

“Moony,” Sirius whispered into the calmness of the room. “We’re going to be a family.”

“I know, darling,” whispered Remus. “James would be proud.”

“He is,” said Sirius quietly.

It was silent for a while. They were both almost asleep.

“Moony,” Sirius whispered again. “You know I love you, right?”

“... hm ... I know,” mumbled Remus. “And I love you too but can you please sleep now, I’m tired.”

Sirius chuckled quietly and didn’t say another word.

Harry woke up feeling warm. It was probably still very early in the morning. His legs were tangled with Cedric’s and he was practically lying on Cedric’s chest. He looked up at the other boy’s face and saw that he was still asleep. Cedric’s hair was sticking out everywhere and his face looked so peaceful. _He’s so beautiful,_ Harry thought. _How did we get here?_ He asked himself and rested his head on Cedric’s chest. He listened to Cedric’s heartbeat and slowly dozed off again.

The next time Harry woke up was because he was gently being pushed away. He slowly opened his eyes and blinked.

“Oh, I’m sorry,” whispered Cedric. “I didn’t want to wake you. You were just crushing me a little bit,” he smiled.

“...oh...sorry,” mumbled Harry sleepily. “We should probably wake up anyway.”

“Yeah, I think breakfast is about to end now.”

“I’m not hungry, anyway,” said Harry. “We should go to the Hospital Wing. Check on Hermione.”

“Yeah.”

None of them moved, though. They were both lying on their back, staring at the ceiling. Harry didn’t want to face the world just yet. He just wanted to pretend for a while that nothing else existed. Just them, lying on a bed in the Room of Requirement. He felt Cedric grab his hand and intertwining their fingers.

“You’re excited about the summer?” Cedric asked.

“Yeah,” smiled Harry.

“I’ll come visit you.”

“That would be nice.”

“You could come visit me too.”

“That would be nice,” Harry repeated.

“We should probably talk about everything.”

“I know.”

“But you don’t want to.”

Harry turned to him then. Cedric was still looking at the ceiling. There was a voice in the back of Harry’s head again, whispering terrible thoughts. _He deserves so much better, he deserves the world,_ said the voice. _What do I give him? Sadness, anxiety, I’m making everything worse._ He tried to stop the voice. He tried to think about something else. _You have to make him happy, come on._

“Harry,” said Cedric, looking at him now. “It’s okay, we can talk about it later.”

Harry nodded. He climbed on top of Cedric then and kissed him. The kiss was gentle at first but then Harry realised he didn’t want to stop. _Make him happy, make him happy,_ he kept thinking as he was kissing alongside Cedric’s jawline. He then moved to his neck and Cedric let out a low moan that Harry was sure should be banned. He couldn’t stop anymore. He unbuttoned Cedric’s shirt and focused on his collarbone.

“Harry,” Cedric sighed. “Come on, we have to get up,” he said but Harry paid it no attention.

Then Cedric grabbed him by the shoulders and gently pushed him back up so they were face to face.

“This is not right,” he said with a smile.

“What?” Harry frowned.

“I don’t want you to do something you’ll regret later.”

“I’m not,” insisted Harry. “I’m not gonna regret this.”

“Maybe,” Cedric said kindly. “But it’s still not the right time.”

“But-,” Harry tried to protest.

“No, Harry,” said Cedric. “Trust me. As nice as it felt, it’s not a good idea, okay?”

Harry knew he was right. He was just trying to distract himself from the thoughts in the back of his head. He knew it was stupid.

“Come on, sweetie,” Cedric smiled. “Let’s go.”

“You called me that yesterday too,” said Harry as they got up from the bed.

“What?”

“Sweetie. You called me that yesterday. In the Ministry.”

“Oh, I’m sorry. I know you don’t like pet names, I can stop,” said Cedric.

“No ... er ... it’s nice,” rambled Harry.

“Okay,” smiled Cedric. “We can talk about everything that happened yesterday later,” he said and Harry knew he wasn’t talking only about the events in the Ministry. “Let’s go check on Hermione now.”

Harry nodded and they left the Room of Requirement. They walked to the hospital wing, hand in hand. There weren’t many students in the hallways, most of them were probably still at breakfast or outside since the exams were over now. When they walked in the hospital wing, Ron was already there sitting by Hermione’s bed. Hermione was awake and she was sitting up, reading the _Daily Prophet_.

“Harry! Cedric!” exclaimed Ron enthusiastically as he noticed them walk in.

“Harry! Are you guys okay?” Hermione looked up from the newspaper. “No one really told us what happened,” she said in a worried voice.

“We’re fine,” smiled Harry as he and Cedric sat down on the bed next to Hermione’s. “How are you?”

“I’m okay,” Hermione waved her hand dismissively.

“What did Madame Pomfrey say?” asked Cedric.

“It was just some curse, I’ll be fine,” she said and Ron frowned.

“It wasn’t just some curse,” said Ron. “Madame Pomfrey said that is was some dark magic. It could’ve killed you. It only didn’t because he cast it non verbally since you put Silencing Charm on him before.”

Harry’s insides gave an unpleasant twirl at that.

“Yes but I’m okay, Ron,” said Hermione in a tone that said she didn’t want to discuss it anymore.

“Madame Pomfrey said that the same curse hit Sirius,” said Ron. “Is he okay? She said that since Bellatrix aimed at you, she didn’t cast it as strong because she just wanted you unconscious.”

“Dumbledore said he’s okay,” said Harry. “But I haven’t seen him.”

“I’m sure he’ll be fine, Harry,” smiled Hermione.

Harry nodded. There was silence for a while and he felt everything boil inside of him. It almost felt like he was in a bottle that someone was filling with water and he was slowly running out of air. He felt the tears burn in his eyes. _Don’t cry, that’s pathetic_ , he heard the voice in the back of his head but he couldn’t stop.

“Harry,” he heard Cedric’s voice and felt his hand in his.

“I’m ... I’m just so sorry,” Harry managed to get out. “You guys were right before. I should’ve seen it was a trick. I was so stupid and put everyone in danger,” he said in a whimpering voice.

“Oh, Harry,” said Hermione and there were tears in her eyes. “Don’t blame yourself. Everyone is okay. And if we didn’t go, you’d never find out about the prophecy probably.”

“It’s broken,” said Harry.

“Well, that’s for the best too,” said Hermione. “At least You-Know-Who can’t get to it.”

“Did you find out what it was about?” asked Ron and Harry nodded.

Harry and Cedric then proceeded to tell them what exactly happened with Voldemort and what Dumbledore told them later. Hermione looked like she was about to cry when Harry explained the prophecy.

“Well ... we’ll help you, mate,” said Ron.

“I don’t want to get you guys into more danger.”

“Harry, you’re our friend, we’re going to help you,” said Hermione sternly.

“... er ... can we just not talk about it now?” asked Harry.

“Sure. But don’t think you can run off to deal with this alone,” said Hermione.

“Okay,” smiled Harry. “Also, Dumbledore allowed me to live with Sirius and Remus this summer,” he said to change the subject to a happier note.

“That’s great, mate!” said Ron. “So we can come to visit you often this summer.”

“I hope so, yeah,” smiled Harry.

Hermione then read them aloud the _Daily Prophet_ , which wrote about the events in the Ministry the night before. Fudge has finally admitted that Lord Voldemort has returned. Dumbledore was reassigned to be the Headmaster of Hogwarts and then the Prophet spoke about Harry too. This time they were praising him, saying that he was the lone voice of truth and Harry just rolled his eyes at that.

Umbridge was also in the hospital wing but she seemed not to be there mentally. Apparently, Dumbledore rescued her from the Forest and she refused to speak to anyone about it. Harry didn’t want to wish anyone anything bad but he felt a slight satisfaction from it all. Hermione had to stay in the hospital wing for the next few days, taking all kinds of potions and she seemed to be bored with it. Cedric didn’t make any attempt to make Harry talk to him and Harry assumed he was just giving him space to think and process everything. He was always doing that. And Harry knew he should be thinking about everything but his brain just refused. He didn’t focus on many things.

Hagrid also returned so Harry and Cedric paid him a visit. Hermione was still in the hospital wing and Ron kept her company most of the time. Visiting Hagrid felt nice, it always felt like home to Harry and he was glad Hagrid was alright. Some of the members of the DA came to visit Hermione too in the hospital wing. Ginny was quite offended that they didn’t take her with them to the Ministry, Neville seemed to mind a little bit too and Luna said that next time they should make their adventures DA inclusive. Harry apologized to them, promising that if he will want to run off to kill himself again, he will invite everyone to watch. That earned him a disapproving scowl from Hermione. Cho was also quite upset about the events in the Ministry but mainly because she was worried about Harry and Cedric.

“Honestly, you two, this is the second time you were in a dangerous situation together,” she said as she joined them for lunch one day. “You could’ve at least let me know you were okay, I had to find out from Luna. You know when she said you were in the Ministry, I thought she was making it up, you never know with her. But then Ryan told me you never came to the dormitory,” she sent Cedric a sharp look. “He was well mad at you too. And then you come back and don’t even say anything.”

“Sorry,” said Cedric. “I ... we didn’t realise.”

“Well, I’m glad you’re okay,” she said. “How is Hermione? I heard she was still in the hospital wing?”

“Oh, yeah, she’s doing okay, though,” said Harry. “She’ll be out soon.”

Hermione got out of the hospital wing three days before the term ended. In the meantime, Harry managed to get himself into a fight with Malfoy. They were broken apart by Snape who was about to punish Harry but Professor McGonagall saved him. And Harry still didn’t think about what he should tell Cedric. He kept thinking about the summer and seeing Sirius and Remus.

It was the evening before the end of the term that Harry decided he should finally talk to Cedric. It wasn’t entirely his decision. Hermione sat him down to have a talk as soon as she got out of the hospital wing.

“I don’t get what’s the big deal, Harry,” she said. “You obviously have something unresolved between you two and you really should talk about what happened at the Ministry with someone.”

“The big deal is that I put you all in danger. I’ll tell him about whatever mess is going on in my brain and he’ll be understanding and then it will all be okay.”

“He is your boyfriend, of course, he’s going to be understanding. What’s wrong with that?”

“That it’s just a never-ending cycle with me. With who I am. This is how it’s always going to be and he doesn’t deserve that. He deserves something so much better.”

“Look, Harry,” she sighed. “It’s only up to you if you want to break the cycle or not. If it bothers you, you should change something. But just because you’re the Boy Who Lived, or whatever the problem is here, doesn’t mean that you’re someone less worthy of normal things.”

“It’s too late, it’s got out of my control now and I don’t know what to do,” said Harry and put his head in his hands.

“What do you mean?” Hermione asked and put her hand on his back.

“He told me he’s in love with me,” Harry whispered.

“And that’s bad? I think that’s wonderful.”

“You don’t understand.”

“Then explain it to me,” she insisted.

“He said it when he was angry and now I think he regrets it. Maybe he just said it to shut me up because I was being so difficult. But if he did mean it then I don’t know what to do. I’m going to hurt him either way.”

“Either way?”

“If I stay with him, I’ll hurt him with my mess or with putting him in danger. But if I leave, I’ll break his heart.”

“Harry,” she said tentatively. “Do you want to be with Cedric?”

“Yes,” he replied.

“Then you’ll just have to make it work. These things in your head are something you will have to overcome. You and Cedric are good together. You’ve been so much happier with him and he seems happy with you too. And I understand that it’s hard sometimes but that’s just how it is and you have to make it work. But you have to do it together.”

“I ... I,” he sighed. “You’re right.”

“I know I’m right so go talk to him finally.”

So after dinner was over, he walked Cedric into the Room of Requirement, where they sat down on the sofa.

“I’m sorry I didn’t talk to you before,” said Harry.

“It’s okay. I figured you needed some time,” smiled Cedric.

“Well, still,” said Harry. “You should tell me when something bothers you. I know I’m being difficult and you’re so nice all the time. I want you to tell me I’m being horrible.”

“Why? Harry, I know when you need space and I want to respect that. I don’t want to force anything out of you just because your distance might make me upset.”

“But that’s what I mean,” Harry pressed. “You’re too nice all the time and sometimes you really shouldn’t be.”

“Hey, just because you think that you don’t deserve people being nice to you for some reason, doesn’t mean they shouldn’t. Besides I don’t see myself as too nice, I’m just doing what I think is right,” Cedric said.

“Okay,” Harry sighed. “I’m glad that you give me time to process everything that’s going on in my head. Thank you for that. But you need to call me out on things. I don’t want to make you upset.”

“Okay,” Cedric nodded.

“So, I realised that no matter what I do, I’ll put people I care about in danger. And I hate that. The night at the Ministry was a stupid idea and I’m going to be smarter next time.”

“Harry, this is war. We’re going to be in danger whether we like it or not,” Cedric said.

“I know,” Harry nodded. “And I’m glad nothing too terrible happened that night.”

“Well, I think Voldemort invading your brain was pretty terrible, but sure.”

“That was ... er ...,” Harry rambled.

“You want me to call you out on things, so I will. You think it wasn’t terrible just because it happened to you.”

“.... you’re right,” said Harry. “I had a talk with Hermione about this too.”

“So do you want to tell me what happened there?”

“It was just... I’m not really sure. I was him but I was also myself. And I was just in so much pain I wanted to end everything,” he said and Cedric gasped and took his hand. “But then I thought about you and Ron and Hermione. And Sirius and Remus. And it scared him, I think.”

“Good,” Cedric said.

“It just made a lot of things confusing. Like I’m not really sure what kind of person I am ... or I should be. And then the prophecy ... it’s like I don’t have any other purpose in my life, you know.”

“But you do. Look, maybe you’re destined to kill You-Know-Who ... but maybe you’re also destined to be the best British Quidditch seeker, or the best DADA professor Hogwarts will have, or something else. We don’t have just one purpose, Harry.”

“Yeah,” Harry smiled. “It was just a bit too much suddenly. I’m still not sure what I think about Dumbledore.”

“Yeah, I get what you mean. I’m not sure what I think about him either.”

“I also want to apologize for how horrible I was to you before we went to the Ministry,” said Harry.

“It’s okay, don’t worry about it, I understand what was going on in your head,” Cedric smiled. “It’s not like I was completely calm then either.”

“No, you were brilliant,” said Harry. “I don’t know what I would do without you.”

Cedric smiled and kissed Harry on his forehead.

“Listen,” Cedric said. “About that. About ... er ... what I said before we went to Snape’s office-.”

“It’s fine,” Harry said quickly. “You were just trying to calm me down. You didn’t mean it, it’s okay.”

“No,” Cedric frowned. “I did mean it.”

“Oh,” Harry breathed out and blushed.

“I just didn’t want to tell you like that. It slipped out because I was not keeping it together that well,” Cedric said. “Well, but I said it and the situation doesn’t change the fact that it’s true.”

“Oh ... I ... er ...,” Harry rambled.

“You don’t have to say anything,” said Cedric. “I don’t expect you to. It’s just how it is and if you don’t want me to say it again, I won’t.”

“I ... er ... thank you,” said Harry. “It’s just ... you know how emotions confuse me.”

“I know,” Cedric smiled. “You don’t have to worry. You know I can still sense people’s emotions, right?”

“Really? I thought you couldn’t, you didn’t say anything about it in a long time.”

“I didn’t think it was important. Plus, I learned how to ignore it. But yeah, I can.”

Harry just nodded. He wasn’t sure if Cedric knew more about how Harry was feeling than he did. But he decided not to press the matter anymore. He hugged Cedric tightly.

“Thank you,” he said into Cedric’s chest.

The next day was the last day of the school’s term. They all got onto the train to King’s Cross and for the first time ever, Harry was actually excited for summer.

“You have to write us when you settle in Grimmauld Place,” said Ron. “So we can come and see you.”

“Definitely,” Harry smiled.

Once the train stopped, they had to say their goodbyes but knew this time they’ll see each other soon. Harry hugged Hermione as she left to find her parents at the train station. He went to say hello to Mr and Mrs Weasley before he went to look for Uncle Vernon. Mrs Weasley gave him a bone-crushing hug and said that she’s happy he’ll be moving away from the Dursleys but if he ever wants to come to the Weasleys he is welcome any time.

“Thank you, Mrs Weasley,” Harry smiled.

“Harry, my parents are over there,” said Cedric. “Do you want to come say hi with me?”

“Er ... are you sure?”

“Yeah,” Cedric smiled. “Come on.”

Harry said goodbye to the Weasleys and hugged Ron before he joined Cedric. Mrs Diggory smiled at him very kindly and Mr Diggory just nodded to him.

“Er ... hello,” said Harry nervously.

“Mom, Dad, you remember Harry right?” said Cedric.

“It’s hard not to remember him, Ced,” said Mr Diggory coldly. “His name was all over the Prophet now.”

“You still read it?” asked Cedric. “I thought you cancelled the subscription after last year.”

“I did but it throws itself into my face in work all the time,” said Amos.

“How are you, Harry, dear?” asked Mrs Diggory. She reminded him awfully of Mrs Weasley.

“I’m good,” said Harry. “Er ... Cedric really helped me this year ... you know ... he’s great ... er ... friend,” he rambled.

“Well don’t think we haven’t heard anything about your escapades at the Ministry,” said Amos sternly. “What were you thinking, Ced? Just running off there like that?”

“It’s fine, Dad,” said Cedric.

“Er ... that was my fault, Mr Diggory,” said Harry. “I’m sorry, I had a vision and I thought it was true. I’m sorry, I know it was stupid to drag everyone with me.”

“Well, of course, it was your idea,” said Amos disapprovingly.

“Dad, it was my decision to go,” said Cedric.

“Amos, you should be proud our son is so brave. And so willing to help his friends when they need. You wouldn’t expect Harry go all alone, would you? It’s always better to go with a team,” Mrs Diggory smiled and winked at Harry.

“Well, I suppose,” grunted Mr Diggory.

“I also wanted to tell you something,” said Cedric and Harry felt himself getting nervous. He wanted to stop Cedric, to tell him this wasn’t really the best time. But it was Cedric’s decision.

“Yes, dear?” said Mrs Diggory.

“Well ... the thing is ... er ... Harry and I ... er ...,” Cedric sighed and looked very nervous. But then he took Harry’s hand. “We’re dating,” he said and Harry felt himself going very red.

“Oh, how wonderful,” smiled Mrs Diggory and hugged them both at once, which Harry didn’t expect.

Amos Diggory was frowning. He was quiet for a long time. Harry wasn’t sure what to do and he already saw Uncle Vernon in the distance walking towards the platform, which meant he would have to go soon.

“We’ll talk about this at home, Ced,” said Mr Diggory eventually.

“I ... I’m sorry but my uncle is there,” said Harry quietly. “I have to go.”

“Okay, I’ll see you later,” smiled Cedric and kissed him on a cheek, which made Harry blush even harder.

“I’m sure we’ll see you soon,” said Mrs Diggory and hugged Harry again. “Don’t worry about Amos,” she whispered in his ear.

Harry smiled and nodded. He walked up to Uncle Vernon, who was already looking for him. He didn’t look at all happy that Harry made him wait. He didn’t say anything and they just walked to his car. Once he was back at Privet Drive, Harry wasted no time. He went to the living room to talk to Uncle Vernon and Aunt Petunia about his moving.

“Um, Uncle Vernon, Aunt Petunia?” he said. “I have to tell you something.”

They both just looked at him, annoyed, but none of them said a word.

“As great as your hospitality was all these fifteen years,” Harry said sarcastically. “I’m moving away. My godfather is taking me in. He’s coming for me in a week.”

Aunt Petunia and Uncle Vernon just looked at each other and then nodded. They didn’t say anything. Not that Harry really expected them to react in any way. He went up to his room very happy. _Just a week. Last week in this place and I’ll never have to come back ever again,_ he thought.

_Dear Sirius and Remus,_

_I’ve now safely arrived at Privet Drive. Please let me know when exactly you’re picking me up. I’ll be ready._

_See you soon!_

_Harry_

He gave the letter to Hedwig and she flew away instantly. The week back in Privet Drive went by very slowly. Harry kept to his usual routine of avoiding the Dursleys and listening to the news for anything unusual. He also packed himself, which took him less time than expected. But then again, he didn’t have many things. And because he was so excited to leave, he remained packed throughout the entire week and only took out things he needed at the moment. When the first week was almost over, he finally received a letter from Sirius and Remus.

_Dear Harry,_

_Please be ready tomorrow morning at 9 am. We’ll be there to take you home._

_See you tomorrow._

_Love,_

_Pads and Moony._

Harry was so happy and excited he couldn’t sleep. _Home,_ he kept thinking. _I’ll have a home. I’ll have a family._ The next day, he woke up very early. He prepared breakfast for everyone, very giddy with the fact it was the last breakfast he was going to make for the Dursleys. And eventually, there was a knock on the door. Uncle Vernon went to open.

“Yes?” he said in a displeased voice.

“Hello, Mr Dursley. I don’t believe we’ve met. I’m Remus Lupin. I’m here for Harry,” said Remus kindly and held out a hand.

“Great,” said Vernon but didn’t shake Remus’s hand. “Just take the boy and leave my property!”

“Remus!” Harry said happily and rushed to hug him. Behind Remus, there was a great black dog. “Hi, Padfoot!” Harry smiled.

“Come on, let’s take your things and let’s get out of here,” said Remus.

Harry led him to his room and they took everything downstairs. They didn’t have to go up more than once because Harry didn’t really have many things. In front of the house, there was a car waiting. It was an old car that looked like it hasn’t been used for a long time. So it was lucky Harry didn’t have many things, otherwise, it wouldn’t probably fit in. Harry said bye to the Dursleys who really didn’t seem to care and then he squeezed himself between his things on the backseat of the car. Remus was driving and Padfoot was sitting on the front seat next to him.

“Ready to go home?” asked Remus.

“Yes,” said Harry with a grin. “Where did you get the car?”

“Oh, it’s Sirius’s car,” said Remus and Padfoot growled disapprovingly. “Okay, okay, it’s our car. Sirius bought it when we moved in together. You know, his motorcycle wasn’t all that practical.”

“So it’s a muggle car?”

“Yes. Your godfather always wanted a one like this. And you know he gets what he wants,” Remus chuckled and Padfoot growled again. “We haven’t really used it in a long time.”

“Cool,” smiled Harry.

“You should also know there are Aurors tailing us, just in case. Although not many people know about your move.”

Harry nodded. He understood. He was just glad he left Privet Drive for good. They drove on for a while but it wasn’t that far to get to Grimmauld Place. Once they were inside, Sirius changed into his human form and hugged Harry tightly. Dumbledore was waiting for them in the kitchen as well.

“So, I see all is well,” said Dumbledore. “I’m glad everyone is safe.”

“Thank you, Professor,” said Harry.

“Now, Harry, my boy, we already talked about this. You’re not to be irresponsible while living here. Your friends can visit you and you can go see the Weasleys or the Diggorys, both of them are informed about the situation. But you are mainly to stay here.”

“Yes, Professor,” Harry nodded.

“We’ll keep him safe, Dumbledore,” said Sirius.

“Very well, then,” smiled Dumbledore. “I will contact you soon too, Harry. For now, I wish you a pleasant summer,” he said kindly and then left through the fireplace.

“Come on, let us show you your room,” said Sirius excitedly.

They walked upstairs. Harry thought he was going to stay in the room he shared with Ron and Cedric the previous summer but it turned out that he had a room for his own. The room was next to Sirius’s and Remus’s bedroom on the fourth floor. It was very big. Probably as big as Dudley’s room back in Privet Drive. Maybe even bigger. Harry couldn’t imagine he would ever have enough stuff to put in there. The walls were decorated in Gryffindor colours and there were few Quidditch posters. The bed was so big that Harry would fit there probably three times. There was also a space for Hedwig by the window where she had her own perch. On the bedside table, there was a picture of Harry as a child with his parents and then a picture with him, Cedric, Ron, Hermione, Sirius and Remus that they took on New Year’s.

“This used to be my brother’s room,” said Sirius. “But we cleaned it out for you. Kreacher might be horrible to you about it, so be ready,” he chuckled.

“We weren’t sure how to decorate it,” said Remus. “So if you want to change anything, let us know, you totally can.”

“Yeah, any more posters or anything,” said Sirius. “Also you need to get more clothes and more things that are just yours, really.”

“I ... it’s perfect,” said Harry with tears in his eyes. “Thank you,” he said and hugged them both.

They put all of Harry’s things in the room, which didn’t take a long time. And it was decided they would go shopping later so Harry could get some clothes and other things. Harry also immediately got to writing letters to everyone, to let them know he was safe and sound and very happy.

_Dear Cedric,_

_I’m at Grimmauld Place now. I can’t even explain how happy I am. We’re going to go shopping later and I’ve never been shopping except for school things. I’m excited. I can’t wait to see you soon. How are you doing? Please tell me everything, or come to visit me!_

_I miss you!_

_Harry_

He gave the letters to Hedwig who hooted happily and flew away. Then he went to join Sirius and Remus for lunch.

“So, how are you Harry?” asked Sirius. “We didn’t have a chance to talk after the Ministry.”

“I’m okay,” said Harry. “No damage, don’t worry,” he smiled. “How are you? Dumbledore just told me you were okay but nothing else.”

“I’m fine,” said Sirius dismissively.

“He had to drink these terrible potions for several days,” said Remus. “I had to force them down his throat.”

“Well, they tasted awful, Moony!”

“See, Harry? So childish, that godfather of yours,” Remus chuckled. “But as you can see, he is back to his normal self.”

“I’m glad,” Harry grinned.

“So, will Cedric join us this summer?” asked Sirius in a teasing voice.

“Pads, always the nosy parent,” Remus rolled his eyes.

“Well, I’m sorry, young love is just so exciting,” exclaimed Sirius.

“He’ll come,” said Harry with a chuckle. “If that’s okay with you?”

“Of course, we adore your boyfriend!” said Sirius.

“Pads, stop being so dramatic,” Remus chuckled.

“And I wanted to go see him too at some point ... if ... if I can.”

“Absolutely, Harry. Dumbledore made sure you can, so don’t worry,” Remus smiled.

“Thank you,” said Harry.

After lunch, it was decided they went shopping. Remus put a few spells on Harry to change his appearance a little bit so he wouldn’t attract that much attention. Sirius insisted on joining them and since the dog was a bit obvious at this point, he borrowed Harry’s invisibility cloak. They went to Diagon Alley first and then to muggle London as well. Harry bought some clothes, books and things to decorate his room with. He insisted on paying for himself even though Sirius and Remus wanted to pay for him. When they got back to Grimmauld Place, Harry so exhausted that after dinner he went straight to bed. He felt something that he couldn’t identify at first but then realised that it was a feeling of home.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay so I realise that Harry is super super frustrating in the first half of the chapter but my boy is an overthinker with deep deep issues so he has to struggle a little bit, I'm sorry.  
> I'm glad I could finally give him a nice life, though. I hope you enjoyed!! :)


	19. Old and New Habits

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Harry's life is much better now he lives with Sirius and Remus.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you all so much for the lovely kudos and comments ♥♥♥  
> I'm giving you some fluff before we go into the main plot. This chapter is longer than I expected and we only covered like a week of Harry's summer.  
> We're gonna go into more deeper stuff later. I just want everyone to be happy for now.  
> Hope you enjoy!  
> ♥  
> (btw, I really suck at naming the chapters so the name really comes into me at the last moment because I'm like aaaaaah I need something!!! so yeah, sorry)

Harry didn’t have such a good sleep in a long time. When he woke up he wasn’t sure where he was and thought it was all just a dream. But as he opened his eyes and realised that he really was in his new room in Grimmauld Place, he couldn’t stop smiling. Hedwig was tapping on the window with her beak and Harry went to open it to let her in. She was carrying letters from Ron, Hermione and Cedric. Harry gave her a treat and let her go to sleep as he opened the letters.

_Hey mate!_

_That’s brilliant! Dumbledore made sure our fireplaces are connected so we can visit each other anytime. I reckon my parents will come over soon for the meetings of the Order. So we’ll probably be there often. Anyway, Mom is making us de-gnome the garden again – they always come back I don’t understand why she doesn’t give up already. But I thought you could come by tomorrow and play some Quidditch with us? Fred and George moved out to their shop already but they’ll be over tomorrow too. Bring Cedric if you can!_

_See you soon!_

_Ron_

Harry still couldn’t believe how lucky he was. He had a home and he could go see his friends whenever now. He opened Hermione’s letter next.

_Dear Harry,_

_I’m so happy to hear that you’re alright and safe. Say hi to Sirius and Remus from me. If Sirius has a phone in that house by any chance, you could always call me, but I suppose he doesn’t. And you shouldn’t probably wander off to the streets to use the phone booth. Anyway, I’m going on holiday with my parents, so I can’t come to see you now. But I will be staying with the Weasleys from next week for the rest of the summer. So I’m sure I’ll see you then. Our O.W.L. results should come in next week too so I’m nervous. But it’s going to be nice to open the letters together, don’t you think?_

_See you soon and be safe,_

_Love,_

_Hermione_

Harry chuckled. He really hasn’t thought about the O.W.L.s at all but he was sure it was the only thing on Hermione’s mind. He was positive that Sirius didn’t have a phone in the house since it was all magical and very top secret. But he was going to see Hermione next week, apparently, so it didn’t really matter. The last letter was from Cedric and Harry was smiling even before he opened it.

_Dearest Harry_

_This is wonderful! I hope you had fun on your shopping trip and I’m so happy that you’re safe and home. Dumbledore connected our fireplaces so we can visit each other or call each other whenever we want. I was thinking I could come tonight, maybe for dinner? If it’s not too rude to intrude, let me know through the fireplace. I’ve already been to see Mrs O’Brien, who owns that flower shop in Diagon Alley and it was amazing. I’ll tell you all about it!_

_I can’t wait to see you!_

_Love,_

_Cedric._

There was that word again. That word that made Harry feel nervous and confused a little bit. But that word also made him feel something strange. It felt as if it was tickling him from the inside. And it was warm. Harry was not quite sure yet what to do with it.

He put his letters into a folder where he kept all his letters for safekeeping and then he quietly crept out of the room. Sirius’s and Remus’s bedroom door was shut and the house was quiet so Harry assumed they were still asleep. He walked down to the kitchen and started making breakfast. Kreacher showed up at some point, muttering to himself that Harry was a filthy brat who was acting like the house belonged to him and that it was lucky that his Mistress wasn’t alive to see it. Harry ignored him. He decided not to pay Kreacher any attention since the incident. Sirius decided last night to send Kreacher to work in the Hogwarts kitchens. That way the other elves could keep an eye on him too. He forbid Kreacher to see Narcissa Malfoy or anyone else he might think would be his Master or Mistress. And working in Hogwarts was a punishment enough for the elf. He still wandered around the house though, probably trying to save some things from Sirius’s family. He wasn’t allowed anywhere else than the house and Hogwarts, however. Soon, the elf was gone once again.

Harry was finishing making the breakfast when Remus and Sirius came into the kitchen, both still in their pyjamas. Remus looked awake but Sirius seemed like he was sleeping while walking.

“Good morning,” said Harry as he put the breakfast on the table for everyone and started pouring the tea.

“Hi, Harry,” smiled Remus. “What’s all this?”

“Breakfast,” said Harry.

“You made breakfast?” asked Sirius, surprised. “You didn’t have to. You could’ve asked Kreacher.”

“Darling, you sent him away last night, remember,” said Remus as he sat down and took the tea from Harry gratefully.

“Oh, yeah, that’s right,” said Sirius and sat down too.

“Still, Harry. You didn’t have to make us breakfast,” smiled Remus. “But thank you.”

“Well ... I just figured why not,” Harry shrugged. But the truth was that he didn’t even think about it. He was so used to getting up and making breakfast for everyone that it was almost automatic. And he knew Sirius and Remus probably saw through him.

“Well, thanks,” smiled Sirius and then yawned. “So, had a good sleep?”

“Yes,” Harry replied with a smile. “I had letters from Ron, Hermione and Cedric this morning. Hermione is on a holiday but she’s staying with the Weasleys from next week. And Ron invited me to play Quidditch with them tomorrow.”

“Well, isn’t that lovely,” said Remus. “Maybe we could come to watch. The last time I’ve seen you play was in your third year.”

“Oh, so when Harry plays Quidditch you’re interested, huh?” smirked Sirius. “When I was playing, I had to practically beg him to come and watch.”

“That’s only because you were so arrogant on your broom, I couldn’t stand it,” said Remus.

“But, Moony, I’m always arrogant.”

“That’s true. But you and James were insufferable when you were on brooms,” Remus chuckled and Harry smiled to that too.

“Anyway, what did dear Cedric write to you?” teased Sirius and Harry instantly blushed.

“He ... er ... asked if he could come for dinner tonight.”

“Aw, isn’t that adorable, Remus?”

“Pads, stop embarrassing Harry,” said Remus. “And, of course, he can come, Harry. I’ll cook tonight because if Sirius did he might get food poisoning and we don’t want that,” he smirked.

“Thank you,” beamed Harry. “I’ll call him through the fire later then.”

“How is it going with you two anyway?” asked Sirius. “You spared us all the details, unfortunately.”

“Pads,” Remus said warningly.

“What? I’m just being invested in Harry’s life in a healthy way. It’s called good parenting,” Sirius said and Remus just rolled his eyes.

“It’s going okay,” smiled Harry and blushed. “He’s ... er ... nice. I ... like him.”

“Well we figured that out ourselves,” said Sirius. “I wanted the details. Who asked out who, who kissed who first and stuff like that.

“Er ... he did,” said Harry all red now.

“Sorry, Harry, your godfather is an unbelievable gossip,” smiled Remus apologetically. “But if you need advice on anything, we’re always here.”

“Thanks,” Harry smiled nervously.

They finished their breakfast and Harry got up and started collecting the dirty dishes to put them in the sink.

“Harry, what are you doing?” asked Remus.

“Er ... I was gonna clean up.”

“Harry,” smiled Remus and flicked his wand. All the dishes flew into the sink where they started cleaning themselves.

“Oh, I forgot we can do that,” said Harry.

Remus and Sirius exchanged a look.

“Harry,” started Sirius. “You know that you don’t have to do all these things now. I’m not telling you to not clean after yourself at all but I’m saying that you’re not here to do all that stuff.”

“I ... I know.”

“Also, you know you can use magic here,” said Remus. “Underage wizards can use magic if they’re not around muggles and if their parents or guardians allow it.”

“Oh ... okay,” said Harry in a small voice.

It was silent for a while.

“You know,” said Sirius. “When I moved in with the Potters when I was sixteen, it took me nearly the whole summer not to grab my wand every time someone just walked behind me.”

“Oh ... did your family hurt you?” asked Harry.

“Yes,” Sirius nodded but didn’t give in details, which made it clear for Harry that it wasn’t good. “I’m just saying that I know old habits die hard but keep in mind that it’s not the same in here.”

“I know,” smiled Harry. “Thank you. I just need to get used to it.”

“And Harry,” said Remus. “If you ever want to talk about anything, you can, you know.”

Harry nodded and smiled. He then left to call Cedric through the fireplace.

“Er ... Hello?” he called into the fire and looked around to see anyone.

“Yes, hello?” he heard the voice of Mrs Diggory and soon she was in the view. “Oh, Harry dear, so nice to see you!”

“Hello, Mrs Diggory. Nice to see you too. Er ... is Cedric there?”

“Oh, he’s in the greenhouse. Should I fetch him?”

“That’s alright. Can you just tell him that he can come for dinner tonight? Around six?”

“Of course!” she beamed.

“Thank you,” he smiled. “Goodbye then!”

“Goodbye, dear, say hi to your uncles from me,” she smiled and Harry nodded.

He was quite glad that he didn’t come across Mr Diggory there. He liked Cedric’s mom, she was very kind to Harry and seemed to shine with positive energy. When he thought about it, Cedric took a lot after her. And she called Sirius and Remus his uncles, which Harry thought was quite funny. Cedric’s dad still made Harry nervous, although he knew he wasn’t bad. He was just very intimidating. And Harry still wasn’t sure how he took the whole news of him and Cedric dating but he supposed he was going to find out tonight.

The rest of the day Harry spent with Sirius and Remus. He helped them with cleaning out one of the rooms in the house. Although there was still a lot of work to be done, the house was looking much better and much nicer than it did last summer. It didn’t feel so dark anymore. Over lunch, Remus and Sirius showed Harry all the articles that were written about him in _The Daily Prophet_ so far. Harry wasn’t keeping up with it before but Sirius and Remus saved all the copies that ever mentioned Harry because they found it hilarious. From the newest article, Harry was claimed to be the Chosen One. Harry just chuckled at that and said that the nickname The Boy Who Lived was probably getting kind of boring for them so they had to come up with a new one. He also learned that there was a new Minister of Magic called Rufus Scrimgeour. Harry just hoped he would be better than Fudge.

The evening slowly rolled in and Harry was helping Remus with cooking the dinner. Although Remus said that there was no need for Harry to help him, Harry wanted to feel useful. So Remus let him cut some vegetables. Soon, there was a noise in the fireplace and Cedric arrived. Harry got up and rushed to the fireplace and Cedric hugged him tightly as soon as he walked out of it.

“Hi,” said Harry into his chest. “I missed you.”

“Hey, I missed you too,” said Cedric.

“Cedric! Hi!” greeted Sirius enthusiastically.

“Hello, Sirius, Remus,” Cedric smiled and nodded nervously.

“Hi, Cedric, please sit down, we’re going to eat soon,” said Remus kindly.

“So, Cedric, you’re officially graduated, right?” asked Sirius as they sat down.

“Yeah. I still have to wait for my N.E.W.T.s results, though. They should come in next week, I think.”

“Like Harry’s O.W.L.s,” said Remus and started serving the food.

“And Harry tells us you might be working with plants?” continued Sirius.

“Yeah,” Cedric smiled. “It’s this little shop in Diagon Alley. I went to see Mrs O’Brien just the other day. She owns it. She’s a very nice lady and she showed me the shop and the greenhouses they have and the little laboratory too. They make lots of herbal remedies from their plants and they also try to invent new plants. It’s amazing!”

“That sounds really cool!” said Harry. “I can’t wait to come and see it.”

“Yeah, it’s so lovely. They still can’t officially hire me before I have my N.E.W.T.s results but it seemed that we’re going to get on. Mrs O’Brien told me I can start my internship there after I get my results and maybe after summer I can officially work there.”

“That sounds lovely,” said Remus. “Don’t you think, Pads?”

“Oh yeah!” beamed Sirius. “We should really get more plants for this place.”

“Pads, first you need to learn how to take care of yourself, then you can take care of plants,” said Remus.

“Well, now I’m hurt,” Sirius scoffed and Remus just chuckled.

“How are your parents, Cedric?” Remus asked after a while.

“They’re good,” Cedric nodded. “Dad’s very busy at the Ministry, a lot of magical creatures are turning to You-Know-Who,” he said sadly. “So Dad’s department is swamped with work. And Mom said she was thinking of taking up more shifts at St. Mungo’s. She’s only working part-time now but there is a need for more nurses so she’ll probably be very busy too.”

Harry didn’t ask about Cedric’s dad for now. He figured that was something they should talk about in private. They finished their dinner while talking about meaningless things and Harry enjoyed how normal it all felt. It was mainly Sirius and Remus talking to Cedric, Harry joined in a few times but he found out that he just enjoyed listening to their conversation. He loved watching them all talk so easily to one another. Sirius and Remus were constantly snarky to each other but Harry found it amusing. And he loved how despite their remarks they still exchanged gentle touches here and there. Or how when they finished eating Sirius thanked Remus for making such a delicious dinner and kissed his cheek, which still made Remus blush. It was lovely to see that even after all these years Remus still blushed at the small things. Harry wondered if he ever was going to have something like this with Cedric. And when he looked at Cedric, laughing and talking so easily to Sirius and Remus, he felt that strange tickling on the inside again.

“Thank you so much for the dinner, it was amazing,” said Cedric when Remus cleaned the dishes off the table.

“That’s alright, Cedric, you’re welcome anytime,” he smiled.

They moved to the living room on the first floor where Cedric and Harry played wizard chess. Remus started reading a book and Sirius put on a record on the gramophone and grabbed a book for himself before he sat down next to Remus.

“Oh, and Dad said that if you want, Buckbeak could come to live with us,” said Cedric. “Dumbledore said it should be no problem since our house is warded. And you know, there’s a garden and a forest nearby for him.”

“That’s a good idea,” said Sirius, although he looked a bit sad at that. Harry knew that when Sirius was alone, Buckbeak kept him company. But it was true that it was not good to live in the house for the hippogriff. “Tell your dad to come to take him then, he’ll be much happier with you probably.”

“Darling, once this is over, we’ll have proper space for him too,” whispered Remus to Sirius and he just smiled and nodded.

“Oh, by the way, Ron invited us over to his place tomorrow to play Quidditch,” said Harry to break the sudden tension.

“That sounds good,” Cedric smiled.

It was getting rather late, Remus seemed to be dozing off to his book. Cedric soon got up to leave.

“Cedric, you could stay the night, if you want,” said Sirius. “You’re going to the Weasleys together tomorrow anyway.”

“Oh, I mean ... if that’s alright with you,” said Cedric. “And if Harry wants me to.”

“Sure,” beamed Harry. “You haven’t seen my room yet!”

“Okay, well, I’ll just call my parents through the fireplace to let them know,” smiled Cedric.

“Now, you can stay in Harry’s room but no funny business!” Sirius winked and both Harry and Cedric immediately went red, which made Sirius laugh.

“Moony, wake up, love,” Sirius said as he nudged Remus awake. “Let’s go to bed.”

“... hm?” mumbled Remus. “Oh, okay,” he said and slowly got up.

“Good night, guys, remember what I said,” said Sirius jokingly as they were leaving the room.

“What did you say, Pads? They look like someone threw boiling water in their faces?” they heard Remus say and then they were both gone.

After Cedric called his parents through the fireplace to let them know he was staying, Harry led him into his room.

“This is nice,” said Cedric once they were inside. “But I do have to bring you some plants to brighten it up a bit.”

“Not sure if I’d be able to look after them,” said Harry sheepishly.

“I’ll help you, don’t worry,” Cedric smiled.

“Okay,” Harry nodded and smiled. “I’ll give you something to sleep in. And there should be a spare toothbrush in the bathroom.”

Soon, Harry was ready to go to sleep and was sitting on his bed waiting for Cedric to come out of the bathroom. Part of him still felt that it was too good to be true. But he supposed it would just take him some time to adjust, to realise that this is really his life now. And yes, he knew that soon he will have to deal with Voldemort and all. For now, though, he felt that he could start believing that he might even come out of all of this alive. That maybe life could be good in the end. _It’s okay, I’ll just defeat Voldemort and then I can be happy for the rest of my life,_ he thought. Cedric returned to the room at that moment and Harry felt that tickling inside of him again.

“I hope I didn’t dampen Sirius’s mood or anything,” he said as he climbed into the bed and sat next to Harry. “With Buckbeak.”

“Don’t worry about it,” said Harry. “He knows that it’s better for Buckbeak to live with you. Plus I’m sure he could come to visit. And after the war, he’ll be able to do what he wants.”

“Yeah,” smiled Cedric. “This was nice. I’m glad you’re here now, Sirius and Remus are great.”

“They are,” Harry replied. “It’s still a bit unbelievable to me that I’m here but it’s ... amazing.”

Cedric took his hand then, brought it to his face and kissed it gently. “You deserve all this,” he said and the tickling inside of Harry increased.

“How ... er ... how did your dad take the news about us? He ... er ... didn’t seem so thrilled at the train station,” said Harry nervously.

“It’s alright now,” said Cedric.

“But? What did he say?”

“Well, he wasn’t exactly happy. He said that he had no idea I was interested in boys in the first place and of all people I had to choose you,” he said. “But Mom defended you, she said that you’re a very nice young man and that he should be happy for me,” he chuckled.

“Your mom is great,” smiled Harry. “So what happened then?”

“Well, he asked me if I was sure about this. If it wasn’t just an infatuation or something. I said I was very sure and I told him how I feel about you,” he said and blushed. “Then ... er ... he basically said that I should keep in mind that it’s going to be dangerous for me and for you too. And that it’s going to be difficult now, with the war and with the fact I’m not in Hogwarts anymore.”

“That’s true,” said Harry in a small voice.

“I said that I realise all that and that a good relationship is worth all that. Dad then said that I was old enough to know that for myself and that he respects whatever I choose to do. He was just worried about me, that’s all.”

“I understand. He’s got some good points.”

“I know but it’s not something that will make you get rid of me,” Cedric chuckled. “Dad even said that you better come to visit in the summer. That if you’re so important to me, he wants to meet you properly finally.”

“I will,” Harry smiled. “I’m glad it worked out in the end.”

“Me too,” said Cedric and then kissed Harry gently.

The tickling inside Harry increased and it was so strong Harry thought he might burst. And suddenly, the kiss ended, the tickling stopped and Harry knew what it was all along. And he chuckled to himself. _How could have I been so stupid?_

“What is it?” Cedric asked with an amused smile. His face was so close to Harry’s that when Harry looked into his eyes he couldn’t really focus on anything else. “What’s so funny, Harry?”

“I’m in love with you,” Harry said and chuckled some more.

Cedric looked at him for a while, taken aback, then he let out the breath he was holding and started laughing as well. “Why is that funny?” he said between chuckles.

“I’m sorry, it’s not,” said Harry but couldn’t stop. “I was just feeling it for a while now and it took me such a long time to realise and then I did and I thought ... wow, I’m such an idiot.”

“You’re adorable,” said Cedric and then hugged Harry tightly and after a while, Harry stopped laughing. “I love you too,” he said and pressed a kiss into Harry’s hair.

Nothing else needed to be said. They both enjoyed the sudden silence that was surrounding them. They lay in the bed and Harry shuffled so he was face to face with Cedric. They were pressed to each other and none of them wanted to look anywhere but the other’s face. Harry could never imagine he would feel this way towards someone. Before, he wasn’t even sure he was capable of feeling something this strong. Cedric fell asleep first and Harry wanted to watch him forever. He felt his own eyes fluttering shut but he didn’t want to stop looking at Cedric’s peaceful face. _Love, that’s what it was. That’s how it feels. To be loved. And to love,_ he kept thinking and he knew it wasn’t just about Cedric.

Eventually, he fell asleep and when he woke up he was still in the same room, in the same bed. His legs were tangled with Cedric’s and Cedric was playing with his hair. Harry wished it could be like that forever. But he didn’t want to tempt his destiny too much because he didn’t have a good track record of nice things.

“Good morning,” Harry yawned and Cedric then noticed he was awake.

“Hey,” he smiled. “Slept well?”

“Mm,” Harry purred. “You?”

“Really well,” said Cedric, squeezed Harry and pressed a soft kiss to Harry’s neck that made him shiver.

“What time is it?” asked Harry.

“A little after nine.”

“Hungry?”

“A little bit.”

“We should get breakfast then,” said Harry but didn’t want to leave the bed just yet. He shuffled closer to Cedric instead a buried his head in his chest.

“Aren’t you cuddly in the morning,” Cedric chuckled.

They lay there for a little while longer until they decided they were both quite hungry. Cedric followed Harry into the kitchen where Harry started making breakfast.

“I can do it if you want,” said Cedric.

“I’ll do it,” smiled Harry. “I want to do it.”

“Okay, well, let me make the tea at least.”

Soon, Sirius and Remus also stumbled into the kitchen.

“Good morning, boys,” said Remus.

Sirius, who wasn’t entirely awake yet, just mumbled something incoherent to greet them.

“I was just making breakfast,” said Harry. “Do you want some too?”

“No, no, don’t worry,” smiled Remus, “I’ll make us some.”

An owl flew in for Harry after breakfast. It was carrying a letter from Dumbledore that said that he needed his assistance with something tomorrow so if it’s alright with Harry, he’ll come by. Harry just quickly scribbled a reply that he’ll be looking forward to it and send it by the small owl. Afterwards, they all got ready to go to the Weasleys.

As soon as Harry stumbled out of the Weasleys’ fireplace he was greeted by Mrs Weasley giving him a yet another bone-crushing hug. When Cedric appeared after him, Mrs Weasley hugged him too.

“Oh, just look at you both, I don’t see you for a while and it’s like someone put a Stretching Spell on you,” she said.

“Hi, Molly,” said Remus as he stumbled out of the fireplace. “Hope we’re not intruding too much.”

“Not at all, it’s not like we haven’t been in your house all the time last year,” she smiled, although her smile faded a bit just as Sirius got out of the fireplace. Harry knew that Mrs Weasley didn’t really see Sirius as a parental figure for him and he understood. He just hoped she could see how much Sirius tried and how much he meant to Harry.

“Well, Arthur’s at work. The kids are outside, so why don’t you boys go join them,” she said and Harry and Cedric nodded. “Tea?” she asked Sirius and Remus.

“That would be lovely,” smiled Remus.

Harry and Cedric walked outside into the garden where all the Weasley kids were, except for Bill, Charlie and Percy, of course. To Harry’s surprise, Fleur Delacour was there too. Apparently, she was living in the Burrow now with Bill because they were going to get married soon. Fleur seemed very happy to see both Harry and Cedric, even though Harry didn’t have much to tell her. She explained that Bill was working in Gringotts and she did too, but only part-time. So he brought her to the Burrow for a few days to meet the family.

“Hey, mate!” greeted Ron and hugged Harry briefly. “Hi Cedric!” he smiled.

They played Quidditch after, everyone took turns on Harry’s Firebolt that he brought with him. It felt good to be in the air again. Harry almost forgot how much he loved Quidditch. And to play it with the Weasley kids was always fun. Fred and George kept teasing Ron but he was doing really well, in Harry’s opinion. And Ginny was brilliant on a broom too. But of course, Harry couldn’t help but watch Cedric most of the time. He kept reminding himself not to be so obvious but he found it very difficult.

Harry was taking a break and lent his Firebolt to Ron who wanted to fly a bit further from their house. Harry wasn’t allowed to fly that far, obviously, but he didn’t mind. Fred sat down in the grass next to him, saying he was going to take a break as well as the others kept on flying.

“Ever think my boyfriend’s so dreamy?” said Fred in a mocking voice and Harry just now realized he was there.

“Er ... what?” he blinked.

“You just keep staring at him, that’s all,” Fred chuckled.

“...er ... I don’t stare,” said Harry and blushed.

“Please, the only time you paid attention to something else was when you were catching the Snitch.”

“Oh ... er ... I ...,” Harry stammered.

“Relax, I’m just teasing you,” Fred smirked.”I see you’re not gonna need our amazing love potions we sell in the shop.”

“I suppose not,” said Harry quietly.

“Well, maybe I’ll slip you one when you’re not looking,” Fred said and winked.

“Wha-what?”

“Oh, Harry, you’re so adorable,” laughed Fred. “Honestly, I’m just messing with you.”

“O-okay.”

“Don’t worry. And you know, it suits you.”

“What?” Harry asked and saw the others slowly landing.

“Being happy,” smiled Fred and ruffled Harry’s hair.

They stayed for lunch at the Weasleys and spent the rest of the afternoon there. They played some more Quidditch and when it was getting late, it was time to go home.

“You let me know what happens with Dumbledore tomorrow,” said Cedric as he hugged Harry tightly and then he flooed himself to his home.

“I want to know that too, mate,” said Ron.

“Don’t worry, I’ll tell you everything,” smiled Harry. “I’ll see you next week probably.”

“Sure, Hermione is going to be here too.”

“Oh, we discussed it today with Molly,” said Sirius. “That when your O.W.L.s results come in, we could have a small party in our place.”

“Not sure I’ll have something to celebrate,” said Ron. “But sure.”

“I’m sure you’ll be fine,” chuckled Harry. “Well, see you soon!”

With that, the three of them flooed back to Grimmauld Place. Sirius and Remus told him over dinner that Mrs Weasley sat them down for a parental talk, to make sure they were taking their responsibilities of raising a teenager seriously. It made Harry chuckle. But apparently, she also saw how much happier Harry looked and said that she was glad things were going alright. Harry was quite tired from the Quidditch so he went to sleep early after dinner.

Dumbledore appeared the next morning while they were eating breakfast.

“Good morning,” he smiled as he walked through the fireplace in the kitchen. “I’m sorry to disturb your breakfast.”

“It’s alright, Dumbledore,” said Remus kindly. “Tea?”

“Ah, how kind of you, Remus. I will not decline a nice cup of tea,” Dumbledore replied and sat down by the table. “So I believe everything is going all right?”

“Yes, Professor,” said Harry with a smile. “Everything is good,” he looked up at Dumbledore and noticed that his hand was blackened and shrivelled; it looked as though his flesh had been burned away.

“Sir – what happened to your -?”

“Later, Harry,” said Dumbledore. “So, tell me. Your scar ... has it been hurting at all?”

“No,” shrugged Harry. “But I’ve been wondering about that. I thought it would be burning all the time now Voldemort’s getting so powerful again.”

“I, on the other hand, thought otherwise,” said Dumbledore with a satisfied expression on his face. “Lord Voldemort has finally realised the dangerous access to his thoughts and feelings you have been enjoying. It appears that he is now employing Occlumency against you.”

“Well, I’m not complaining,” said Harry. He thought his absence of the disturbing dreams was solely because he was living a better life now but this was a more logical explanation.

“So what exactly do you need from Harry, Dumbledore?” asked Sirius.

“Ah, yes, I haven’t told you,” said Dumbledore. “Well, I have lost count of the number of times I have said this in recent years, but we are, once again, one member of staff short. We are going to persuade an old colleague of mine to come out of retirement and return to Hogwarts.”

“And how can I help with that?” asked Harry.

“Oh, I think we’ll find a use for you,” said Dumbledore vaguely. “So, Harry, if you could get ready after you finish eating. We’re going to Apparate from down the street.”

“Alright,” Harry shrugged and went upstairs to get changed.

“So I believe Harry is adjusting well here?” asked Dumbledore.

“Seems that way,” said Sirius. “He still has some unhealthy habits from the Dursleys like taking his food upstairs when we’re not looking because subconsciously he thinks he might not be fed later.”

“But he’s doing okay, he just needs some time,” said Remus.

“I see,” nodded Dumbledore. “I also wanted to discuss with you something before I leave. I have not told Harry yet and since you are his official guardians now I think I need to discuss the matter with you first.”

“What is it?” asked Sirius.

“I have decided it might be beneficial to Harry if I gave him private lessons this year. So he can understand Voldemort better in order to know how to defeat him.”

“Is that what happened to your hand then? You were trying to understand Voldemort better?” asked Remus calmly.

“It is related, yes,” replied Dumbledore. “But I assure you I’d not let Harry come to any harm.”

“Well, he does need to learn,” said Sirius. “And him facing Voldemort is inevitable.”

“Yes, but what would these lessons contain?” asked Remus.

“I’d like to show Harry some memories surrounding Voldemort in order to find out anything that might help him to destroy him,” said Dumbledore and Remus narrowed his eyes, clearly thinking that Dumbledore was not saying the whole truth.

“As long as he’s safe,” said Sirius. “And you keep us updated on anything major related to all this.”

“Certainly, Sirius,” said Dumbledore. “I shall inform Harry about it today.”

“Hm,” mumbled Remus, clearly not very satisfied with the outcome of the conversation.

“Ah, Harry, I see you’re ready, splendid!” said Dumbledore just as Harry returned to the kitchen. “Let’s go then. I shall return him later today,” he smiled and he and Harry walked out of the house.

“I don’t like this,” said Remus.

“He has to learn, Moony,” said Sirius. “There’s nothing we can do about it. I’m sure Dumbledore would do as he pleased even without our permission. We should be glad he told us at least.”

“He just needed your permission, really,” said Remus. “You’re his godfather.”

“He came to ask both of us, we’re both his guardians.”

“Not officially. As soon as you agreed he didn’t pay any attention to what I might be thinking about it. Because he knows you’re more likely to let him do it.”

“What’s that supposed to mean? That I care about Harry less?”

“No, I didn’t mean it like that,” Remus sighed. “You’ve just always been more reckless.”

“Well, maybe you’ve just always been too careful!” said Sirius. “Besides, this is war, if that’s what’s going to help Harry, we have to let him.”

“I know,” said Remus. “It’s not like my opinion matters anyway.”

“Of course it matters!” exclaimed Sirius. “We’re Harry’s family now so Dumbledore has to respond to both of us.”

“It didn’t seem that he saw it that way,” said Remus. “It doesn’t matter,” he sighed. “I’m sorry for snapping. I’m just frustrated that we can’t do anything.”

“It matters,” said Sirius softly. “It matters to me. Maybe we should just get married then.”

There was a long deafening silence. Remus blinked and stared at Sirius.

“Don’t be stupid,” he said after a while.

“I’m not.”

“Now it’s not the time to get married, Pads,” said Remus.

“Why? We wanted to ... back then.”

“That was almost sixteen years ago,” said Remus. “And you only suggested it because you wanted to have a stag party because you got drunk on James’s way too early, fell asleep and then missed most of the fun.”

“How dare you accuse me of wanting to marry you out of anything else than love,” said Sirius dramatically.

Remus chuckled.

“But I did want to,” said Sirius quietly. “I still do.”

Remus sighed.

“You can’t get married, Sirius,” he said. “You’re officially still a criminal. And marriage is kind of, you know, a public thing.”

“That’s a shame,” said Sirius and it was quiet again. “Well, would you want to?” he asked after a while.

“Why does it matter? We can’t now anyway and who knows what’s going to happen in the future.”

“Well, when the war is over and we’re still alive ... would you want to?” Sirius asked persistently. “You never really replied to me about it the first time I asked either.”

Remus was quiet again. “Yes,” he said quietly then.

“See, wasn’t so hard to say, now, was it?”

“Well, I’m sorry, I just don’t see the sense of discussing this now,” said Remus. “But it would be something I would want if our life was different.”

“That’s ... good to know,” nodded Sirius.

It was quiet again.

“Moony,” Sirius broke the silence.

“Hm?”

“Harry is going to be away for a while ...,” he drawled.

“Yes, so?” said Remus and then looked at Sirius who was making a face. “Oh,” he smirked.

Apparating was not a pleasant experience for Harry. He didn’t vomit which was a good sign but he still thought he preferred brooms for travelling. Harry tried to ask Dumbledore about his hand again but Dumbledore just said there was no time to explain. On their way, they talked about the new Minister of Magic and the events that happened lately, such as the death of Madam Bones, who Harry remembered from his hearing last year. Meeting Horace Slughorn was an interesting experience. The man destroyed his own house to make Dumbledore think he wasn’t there, which Harry found a bit odd. Dumbledore didn’t even seem bothered by it and helped Slughorn put everything back into order. The reason Harry was brought was to convince Slughorn to return to Hogwarts and Harry only realised it later. When Dumbledore excused himself to the bathroom, Slughorn talked to Harry about his parents that he used to teach. He showed him photographs of some of his previous students, all of which were signed, and told him about all the great things these students have done. It was like a small collection of people. In the end, Slughorn agreed to come back to Hogwarts and Dumbledore thanked Harry later on his cooperation, even though Harry felt that he did nothing. Before they Apparated back, however, Dumbledore took him aside for a few words.

“I must say, Harry, that I am very proud of you,” he said. “You’re doing very well, considering what happened to you.”

“It’s mainly thanks to my friends and Sirius and Remus,” Harry said.

“Yes, now I see that it was, indeed, a good idea to move you. I am sorry for the previous inconvenience caused to you by living at Privet Drive,” Dumbledore said sincerely. “Now, I have to ask you, have you told anyone about the prophecy?”

“Er ... just Ron and Hermione,” said Harry. “But they won’t tell anyone!”

“Not to worry,” smiled Dumbledore. “Your friends are very trustworthy. As you know, I told Sirius and Remus about it, too. But these people, and I assume Mr Diggory too, are the only people that can know.”

“I understand,” Harry nodded.

“It is also my wish to give you private lessons this year,” said Dumbledore.

“Private – with you?”

“Yes. I think it is time that I took a greater hand in your education.”

“What will you be teaching me, sir?”

“Oh, a little of this, a little of that,” said Dumbledore airily and did not elaborate.

“So I won’t have to do Occlumency lessons with Snape, will I?”

“ _Professor_ Snape, Harry – and no, you will not.”

“Good,” Harry nodded.

“I asked Sirius and Remus to give me permission to teach you, of course,” said Dumbledore. “Let’s get you back home then, shall we?”

And with that, they Apparated back to the empty street close to the Grimmauld Place.

Harry told Cedric about everything through the fireplace later that day. He sent a letter to Ron as well but he supposed since Hermione was still on holidays, he would tell her later. The days at Grimmauld Place passed by pleasantly. Harry kept reading a lot and Sirius also got him interested in his music collection. Hermione arrived at the Burrow the day before they got their O.W.L.s results and Harry only talked to her through the fireplace, promising he will see her the next day on the celebration party Sirius and Remus were hosting. His marks came the next day and Harry was quite happy with them. He only failed History of Magic and Divination, which he expected. He got Acceptable in Astronomy, which was a surprise since Harry didn’t really pay much attention to that exam either. The only “Outstanding” he got was in DADA and Harry felt a bitter satisfaction at that. And even though he got “Exceeds Expectations” in Potions, which was a surprise to him, it meant that he was not going to be able to study for an Auror since Snape only took students with “Outstanding” to his N.E.W.T. classes. Harry was still not sure what he wanted to do but Auror seemed the most logical path at the moment. But maybe it just wasn’t meant to be.

“Well done, Harry,” said Remus as he looked over his marks. “Good work. And with Voldemort in your head all the time.”

“Yeah, well done,” smiled Sirius. “Looks like you’ve got your brains from Lilly.”

Everyone arrived in the evening that day. It was nice for the house to be full again. Ron did well on his O.W.L.s as well and Hermione had nine “Outstandings”, which was no surprise to anyone. Cedric arrived at Grimmauld Place with his parents, to Harry’s surprise. He got his N.E.W.T.s results as well. He passed all of his subjects, of course. He got “Outstanding” in most of them, the only “Exceeds Expectations” he got was in Potions. Which meant that he was fit to work in the shop. The Weasleys and the Diggorys were in a conversation about how proud they are at their children’s marks and to Harry’s surprise, Remus joined them. Sirius, however, was in a conversation with the twins about their new products. Tonks was also invited, which was nice because Harry hasn’t seen her since the incident at the Ministry. She was doing well and she and Ginny were in the middle of a conversation that seemed to be about something very funny because they were constantly laughing.

“So, private lessons, huh?” asked Ron. “I wonder what that’s going to be about.”

“Me too,” said Harry. “He hasn’t exactly explained.”

“It’s just as well,” said Hermione. “You need a tutor and who’s better than Dumbledore?”

“Probably,” Harry shrugged.

After a while Harry found himself being taken by Cedric to talk to his parents. He was expecting it at some point but it still made him nervous.

“Oh, Harry, dear, Remus told us about your marks, well done,” beamed Mrs Diggory.

“Er ... thank you,” said Harry.

“So, thought about what you want to do in the future?” asked Mr Diggory, to Harry’s surprise.

“Well, I was thinking of being an Auror but I haven’t got the right marks in Potions for that,” said Harry. “So I’m not really sure just yet.”

“Ah, Ced told me Professor Snape can be very strict,” said Amos Diggory. “Shame, though, you’d make a good Auror.”

“Er ... thank you,” smiled Harry. “Maybe I’ll just go into teaching, I quite enjoyed it last year with the DA.”

“Oh, yes, Cedric has told us all about that,” said Mrs Diggory. “That would be nice, too,” she smiled. “But don’t worry dear, there’s still plenty of time to decide.”

“Yes,” Harry nodded. “How is Buckbeak doing?” he asked. Mr Diggory came in the day before to take him away.

“He seems to be happy,” Amos nodded. “I suppose you’ll see him soon. You’re coming to stay with us at some point, right?”

“I ... er ... I mean if that’s not too much trouble,” stammered Harry.

“Of course not, dear!” said Mrs Diggory. “We’ll be happy to have you. But I understand you want to spend some times with your uncles now when you’re finally together.”

“Yes,” Harry smiled. “They’re really great.”

“Cedric told us,” she said. “Of course, we knew Remus from the time he taught Cedric in Hogwarts. He kept going on how good of a teacher he was. But Sirius seems lovely too,” she smiled.

Harry looked over at Sirius just then. He was trying the “Flying Chewing Gum” – a product of Fred and George. When you blew the bubble, it wouldn’t break but instead, it would lift you up from the ground. So now, Sirius was hanging from the ceiling, trying to get down.

“Yeah, we haven’t figured out how to stop it, yet,” said George.

“You should break the bubble but it’s quite persistent,” said Fred.

Remus was watching him with a look that said: “why do I put up with this all the time”. Harry looked back at the Diggorys who were now watching Sirius as well.

“Well, lovely, I say,” said Mrs Diggory with a smile but Mr Diggory didn’t look amused.

Cedric, on the other hand, was chuckling to himself.

It took about an hour until Sirius came back to the ground. He was laughing and then giving tips to the twins on how to fix the gum. Remus came to them too, to give his own tips, which surprised Harry. But then he thought, who else was behind all those complicated spells in the pranks the Marauders did.

“Sirius is something, isn’t he,” said Hermione as she joined Harry in the corner.

“Yeah,” Harry smiled. “They complete each other quite well, don’t you think?”

“Oh yes,” Hermione laughed. “It’s good to see you this happy, Harry.”

“It’s good to be this happy,” said Harry.

“Oh, Harry,” she said and hugged him tightly. Harry noticed there were tears in her eyes. “I’m sorry, I was just kind of worried about you before. And I know you hate people worrying about you. But you’re my best friend and I’m glad things are good now.”

“Thank you,” Harry smiled. “Things wouldn’t be as good without you,” he said. “You really helped me a lot.”

She smiled at him as they broke apart. It was getting very late so people were slowly leaving. Cedric wanted to stay the night but said he was getting up early the next day for his internship so he left with his parents. The Weasleys and Hermione left shortly after them. Harry helped Sirius and Remus to clean up everything and then tiredly dragged himself off to bed.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay, so some notes: Amos Diggory works at the Department of Magical Creatures at the Ministry (or however it's called) in case you didn't know (I didn't either, I googled it). I made Cedric's mom into a nurse because it seemed fitting.  
> I really needed a map of Grimmauld Place so I googled it and I used one that someone made and it's amazing. You can find it here https://i.pinimg.com/originals/85/aa/83/85aa83f14f3f686ff2d9d4ac662d61bb.jpg there's a name of the creator on it too! And it's really super cool!  
> I hope you enjoyed this chapter. Not much happened in it, I know, but I wanted to write in some sweet scenes. And it was actually quite challenging to give it a natural flow so I hope it comes across okay!  
> (Also in my head, same-sex marriage is allowed for wizards, the story is in 1996 now and it wasn't allowed in the UK until 2013 I think ??? It's still not allowed in my country, just a fun fact lol *sad laughter*. But in my head, wizards allow it.)  
> Thank you for reading, you guys are great ♥


	20. Jokes and Plants

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Harry's birthday happens, some pretty weird things occur in the Diagon Alley ...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> THANK YOU ALL FOR THE LOVELY RESPONSES!!
> 
> Honestly, you guys are amazing, the kudos, the comments or messages on Tumblr ♥, thank you!!!

The days in Grimmauld Place were pretty much the same but Harry enjoyed them nonetheless. He was soon brought back to the reality of a war going on around them. Remus started going on missions for the Order again, which meant that Harry was often alone with Sirius in the house. Sirius was not allowed to go anywhere and that obviously annoyed him.

“I don’t understand why I can’t do something too!” he whined while Remus was getting ready to go one of these days.

“Darling, Dumbledore said it was not wise for you to go and for once, I agree with him,” said Remus. “Besides, someone needs to be here with Harry and protect him in case something happens.”

That seemed to convince Sirius a little bit. Harry overheard this conversation and it made him feel a bit bad. Like he was the reason Sirius had to stay cooped up inside again.

“Besides, if something were to happen to both of us,” said Remus and Sirius glared at him. “Harry would have to go back to Privet Drive.”

“Well, in that case, we can take turns of staying here,” said Sirius.

“I’m not Harry’s guardian officially,” Remus sighed. “We’ve been over this. If something happened to you, Harry wouldn’t be allowed to stay with me. I’m not his family officially and even if I tried to get custody, do you think they would give it to me? A werewolf?” he said in a frustrated voice.

Harry didn’t want to listen behind the doors of their bedroom. But he was on his way to get a glass of water when he overheard their conversation. And somehow he just stayed in the hallway. He didn’t want to cause them more trouble and didn’t want them to feel obligated to protect him. He didn’t want Sirius to be unhappy and to feel useless just so he could protect Harry. And he didn’t want Remus to feel like he didn’t belong with them like he wasn’t Harry’s family too.

“I’m sorry, Moony,” said Sirius. “I just wish I could do something too.”

“You are doing your part by being here for Harry,” said Remus. “I’ll be gone for three days at most, I think. If anything happens, Dumbledore will alert you.”

“Okay,” said Sirius sadly. “You better come back to us.”

“I will,” nodded Remus.

Harry was still frozen in the hallway but when he realized the conversation was about to end, he quickly started walking again. He got to the stairs, however, just when the door to Sirius’s and Remus’s bedroom opened.

“Harry?” said Remus calmly.

“Er ... I was just going to get a glass of water,” Harry replied.

“Well,” said Sirius and frowned a bit, “Remus is leaving now so he was going to say goodbye to you.”

“Oh, yeah,” Harry nodded.

They walked downstairs to the front door. Harry hugged Remus goodbye and tried not to look worried. Sirius gave Remus a kiss before Remus opened the door and left. Harry then went to the kitchen to get the glass of water and he was followed by Sirius.

“You’re okay?” Sirius asked.

“Er ... yeah ... are-are you?”

“I know you heard what we were talking about,” Sirius said instead.

“Oh. I-I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to listen, I really didn’t!” said Harry in a shaky voice.

“It’s okay, Harry, don’t worry,” Sirius smiled but looked worried at Harry’s reaction. “I just hope you didn’t take anything we said in a wrong way.”

“Er ... no ...,” said Harry and then sighed when Sirius gave him a suspicious look. “It’s just ... I don’t want you to feel frustrated because you have to stay here and protect me.”

“Harry,” said Sirius kindly, “I don’t mind staying here with you. Remus and I are so happy that we can all finally be together. The only reason I may be frustrated with the situation is that ...,” he sighed, “... the only reason I’m frustrated is that the person I love is out there risking his life and I can’t even do anything to help him.”

“Oh ... yeah ... I understand,” said Harry. “You know, I’m also worried about him.”

“I know,” Sirius smiled.

Harry enjoyed spending time with Sirius. He told him some of their school stories and they also played some board games together. But Harry did notice that Sirius looked very sad whenever Remus was gone. Even though he tried to hide it Harry knew that Sirius spent his nights in his Padfoot form. Ron and Hermione paid Harry an occasional visit, which was when he also saw Sirius liven up a bit. Whenever he went to visit the Weasleys, however, Sirius didn’t want to join him. Cedric was so busy with his internship he didn’t have the time to see Harry since the party but they exchanged letters and called each other through the fireplace occasionally. But Harry had to admit that he missed him. And he came to slowly realise that Cedric was becoming an adult, who was just forming his life and Harry was getting a bit scared that there might not be a place for him in that adult life. But he tried to push these thoughts aside.

Remus always came back from his missions. Sometimes he would come later than he said, which would make Sirius pace around the house nervously. But he always looked very raggedy and worn out when he returned. When Remus returned from his last mission, he had some disturbing news.

“There have been another couple of Dementor attacks,” he announced as Sirius sat him down in the kitchen and started making tea. “And they found Igor Karkaroff’s body in a shack up north. The Dark Mark has been set over it.”

“Are you okay?” asked Sirius as he sat the tea in front of them.

“Yeah, I’m fine,” said Remus. “But it looks like Diagon Alley is not that safe now either.”

Harry looked over him, worried. Cedric didn’t mention anything happening in the Diagon Alley. If it was unsafe there now and he was working there every day ... it made Harry feel troubled.

“Florean Fortescue – the man who ran the ice-cream place – has been dragged off for some reason,” said Remus. “Must have upset them or something. And Ollivander’s gone too. If the other side has him, it’s not good for us,” he said grimly.

“Do you think it’s dangerous now in Diagon Alley then?” asked Harry.

“It’s probably the same anywhere,” said Remus. “I’m sure Cedric is cautious. The twins work there too after all and they seem to be doing fine.”

Harry nodded but still was very worried about Cedric. When he fire called him that evening he tried not to sound hysterical but the worry was very evident.

“Are you sure you’re safe? Why didn’t you tell me? You must have known if you work in Diagon Alley,” Harry bombarded him with questions.

“I didn’t tell you because I didn’t want to worry you,” Cedric said. “I’m sorry, I should’ve told you. But I’m fine, I don’t wander off too much outside of the shop, the only times I do is to have lunch with Fred and George.”

“Okay,” Harry sighed. “Well, how are you getting on otherwise?”

“It’s been so busy,” Cedric said but sounded excited. “There’s just so much to learn but it’s great!” he smiled. “I’m sorry I couldn’t come to see you lately, I’ve just been trying to study some of the plants in my free time too because there’s still so much I don’t know.”

“Don’t worry about it,” Harry smiled.

“I’ll see you on your birthday. I’m taking the day and the day after that off.”

Harry’s birthday was approaching quickly and Harry almost forgot about it. Sirius and Remus decided to throw him a proper birthday party, which Harry never had. But at this point, he knew for certain that Sirius loved hosting parties so he wasn’t surprised about it. It was the full moon, however, the day before Harry’s birthday so Remus stayed home the whole week before that and Sirius made sure he drank his wolfsbane potion. On the full moon, Remus locked himself in the attic and Sirius helped him move into their bed in the morning.

“Happy birthday, Harry!” Sirius smiled as he walked to the kitchen that morning and they sat down for breakfast.

“You know,” said Harry, “you guys don’t have to throw me a party if Remus is not feeling well.”

“Don’t worry about it,” smiled Sirius. “He’s going to have some rest and he’ll be fine. You know how many times we got drunk after the full moon in Hogwarts?” he laughed.

“I just don’t want him to overdo it,” said Harry.

“You just worry about your birthday,” said Sirius. “Everyone’s going to get here in the evening so you’ll have to wait for cake and presents till then,” he winked.

“You honestly didn’t have to go through so much trouble.”

“Nonsense!” Sirius exclaimed. “It’s not every day a man turns sixteen!”

“Well, thank you,” Harry smiled. “I really appreciate it.”

Harry got a letter from Hogwarts later in the morning too. It was the list of the books he will need and he was also informed that he was made the Gryffindor Quidditch Captain. It surprised Harry to a great deal, he didn’t assume he was still on the team. But it made him incredibly happy.

Cedric arrived before everyone, a little bit after lunch. The second he emerged from the fireplace, Harry threw himself on him and gave him a very long tight hug.

“Hey,” smiled Cedric. “Happy birthday,” he said and kissed the top of Harry’s head. “Your hair is getting long, I feel like it’s everywhere in my mouth,” he chuckled.

It was true, Harry didn’t have a haircut in a long time. He never liked getting haircuts, he had terrible memories of Aunt Petunia shaving his head and then punishing him the next day when it grew all back. Now, it was the usual mess on his head but it was getting a bit longer and a bit curly.

“I like it,” said Cedric with a smile.

“Er ... thanks,” Harry rambled nervously.

“Where's Sirius and Remus?”

“Oh, it was the full moon last night so Remus is still resting,” said Harry. “And Sirius just went upstairs to bring him some lunch.”

“I see,” Cedric nodded. “I’ve got this plant for your room,” he said and raised the plant he was holding. “But don’t worry, I got a normal present for you too, I’ll give it to you with the others.”

“Oh ... that’s lovely, thank you,” Harry smiled and took the plant. “Let’s go put it in my room.”

“So, what kind of plant is this?” Harry asked once they got into his room.

“It’s a small Wiggentree,” said Cedric. “If you touch its trunk it should protect you from Dark Creatures. There should be some Bowtruckles in it guarding it but they are hard to spot.”

“That’s so cool!” Harry smiled and put the Wiggentree on his windowsill. “Thank you!”

He walked back to Cedric and gave him a long kiss. Then Cedric embraced him in a tight hug.

“I missed you so much,” he said into Harry’s hair.

“I missed you too,” said Harry.

“Hey, I’m getting like a week off in August so you can come and stay with me maybe?”

“That sounds great!” Harry grinned.

They talked some more after that about Cedric’s internship and Harry’s days at Grimmauld Place. Harry told Cedric he had been named the Gryffindor Quidditch Captain and Cedric was very happy for him. Later, they went to help Sirius with preparations for the party.

Everyone arrived in the evening. Mrs Weasley brought Harry birthday cake that she made with the help of Hermione and Ginny. All the Weasleys were there – including Fleur Delacour, of course; Tonks also arrived and, to Harry’s surprise, Hagrid came too. Remus came down to join everyone. He still looked rather tired, Harry thought.

“Moony, are you sure you feel okay?” whispered Sirius. “Everyone would understand if you wanted to rest.”

“I’m fine,” said Remus. “I just look terrible, but it’s not such a big difference from my normal appearance.”

“Well, I find you quite handsome any time, actually,” said Sirius.

“Good for me then,” smiled Remus. “Don’t worry if I feel too tired I’ll go to bed.”

They all sang _Happy Birthday_ to Harry, which made him incredibly flustered. It was the first time ever he was able to celebrate his birthday with so many people he cared about. Then they all ate the cake Mrs Weasley brought. Ron and Hermione were happy that Harry was made a Captain because now it gave him an equal rank to prefects. Ron also joked that Harry was going to be like his boss, which would be really cool if Harry will let him stay on the team.

“I can’t take away the team’s King now, can I?” Harry laughed.

Harry got another jumper from Mrs Weasley, he got some sweets and magic cards from Ron, more sweets and a book about dragons from Hagrid. The twins gave him some things from their shop – a Self-Inking Quill, Flying Parchment, and some of their sweets that will make you sick in case: “you wanted to skive off some classes, Harry”. Hermione gave Harry a book that was called _Mental Health in the Wizarding World: There’s no quick spell for everything._

“I just thought it might be useful,” she said with a shy smile. “Because I know sometimes you don’t want to talk to people about it. And this book was recommended to me by Madame Pomfrey.”

“No, that’s great,” Harry smiled sincerely. “Thank you, ‘Mione.”

Cedric gave Harry a small photo album full of photos he took. They were photos of Harry and Cedric or of Harry, Ron and Hermione, some from the New Year’s party. They were little notes written to each photo – usually something happy Cedric remembered from taking the photo.

“This is so sweet,” said Harry. “Thank you, I love it,” he smiled and kissed Cedric.

From Sirius and Remus, he got a very large book on becoming an Animagus. Harry looked at them perplexed when they gave it to him.

“We figured it might be good for you to try,” said Remus.

“This one helped us a lot,” said Sirius. “It’s got mine and James’s notes in it too.”

“That’s ... that’s amazing,” Harry breathed. “So ... you think I should become an Animagi?”

“We discussed it,” said Remus, “and we believe it’s a very useful skill. Might help you a lot in the future if you master it.”

“But there’s the whole thing with being registered and so on,” said Sirius. “And if you do become an Animagi, we thought you shouldn’t register. At least not while there’s still war.”

“Really?” Harry asked.

“Yes, see this might help you in the war and if Voldemort doesn’t know about it ... it’s another strength for you,” said Remus.

“And we think you shouldn’t tell Dumbledore either,” winked Sirius.

“Oh ... okay,” smiled Harry. “Thank you,” he hugged them both.

“But be careful,” said Remus. “And ask us for advice if you need.”

Harry nodded.

He told Ron, Hermione and Cedric about the book once he was sure Mrs Weasley couldn’t overhear them. They all thought it was a good idea to try it. Hermione wasn’t too sure about Harry doing it illegally but once he promised he would register after the war, she let it go.

“Maybe we should all try it, mate,” said Ron. “Wouldn’t it be kinda cool? Like walking in your dad’s and Sirius’s footsteps.”

“It’s incredibly difficult magic, Ron,” said Hermione.

“So? You think I couldn’t do it?”

“No, I’m just saying it requires loads of hard work. As well as patience and focus.”

“Yeah but it might be fun,” said Ron. “Kind of like when we brewed that Polyjuice Potion together in the second year.”

“You did what?” Cedric asked surprised.

“Er ...,” Harry blushed. “It was ... er ... we wanted to find out if Malfoy opened the Chamber of Secrets.”

“Yeah, we changed ourselves into Crabbe and Goyle,” said Ron. “Ew ... my lowest moment.”

“So, let me get this straight,” said Cedric. “You were twelve years old and you brewed a Polyjuice Potion just like that, dilly-nilly? How? It takes a month, how did no one catch you?”

“We did it in the abandoned bathroom,” said Hermione.

“And it’s not like we did it,” said Harry. “It was Hermione’s work.”

“Yeah, and of course, she turned herself into a cat,” snickered Ron and Hermione smacked him in the shoulder.

“Merlin,” laughed Cedric. “You brewed a very complicated potion in a bathroom – illegally, so you could talk to Malfoy? I mean he’s a git but I don’t think he would be capable of opening the Chamber when he was just twelve years old.”

“Well, we found that too,” said Harry.

“You’re never going to stop surprising me, are you?” Cedric chuckled.

“I guess,” Harry shrugged and smiled.

The party continued in a pleasant tone. Although, the adults seemed to be talking in hushed voices about other cases of missing people. It was also decided Harry would join the Weasleys to shop his school supplies on Saturday. Hagrid said he was going with them too – as appointed security.

“See, the Ministry wanted ter send a bunch o’ Aurors, but Dumbledore said I’d do,” he said proudly and Harry was more than glad.

When it was late, everyone started leaving. Mrs Weasley gave Harry another bone-crushing hug and Mr Weasley patted him on his shoulder with a smile.

“We’ll see you Saturday, mate,” said Ron and hugged Harry.

“Happy birthday,” smiled Hermione and also gave Harry a hug before leaving.

Harry and Cedric then helped Sirius and Remus cleaning everything up, which didn’t take long. Remus looked very exhausted and Sirius took his hand to lead them to the bedroom.

“Come on, love,” he said. “Let’s go to bed.”

“Hey, guys,” said Harry before they left. “Thank you again, for the party ... and for everything.”

“Of course, Harry,” Remus said kindly and smiled.

“Have a good night,” said Sirius and then they left.

Harry and Cedric walked back to Harry’s room. Harry put his presents away but stopped to look again into Hermione’s book.

“What you got there?” asked Cedric, who was already sitting on the bed.

“Um ... Hermione got me this book about mental health,” said Harry and then put the book away.

“That’s cool,” Cedric smiled.

“Yeah,” Harry nodded. “Hey ... um ... er ... you never ... do you ... do you still see the Healer in St. Mungo’s?”

“Oh ... yeah,” said Cedric.

“You never talk about it.”

“It’s not easy to talk about.”

“Yeah,” said Harry. “I mean ... you don’t have to, obviously. I just ... don’t want you to feel like you can’t.”

“It’s okay,” Cedric smiled. “I just ... er ... never had problems like this before, you know. Or ... I wouldn’t call it problems, really. Problems were when I got too stressed and anxious over schoolwork. But this is different.”

Harry nodded and walked over to sit on the bed next to Cedric. He took his hand and placed a soft kiss on his knuckles. Cedric smiled at the gesture.

“It’s okay,” Cedric repeated. “Sometimes, there are just days when my head feels like I’m not really here. It’s gotten much better since ... er ... the graveyard. Or maybe I just learnt how to ignore it, I don’t know. But there are days when I feel everything around me being much louder ... I don’t know how else to explain it.”

“No, I get it,” said Harry reassuringly.

“And sometimes I hear voices but I can’t make out what they’re saying. As if they were ghosts. My healer said not to pay too much attention to them but there are days when they are really very loud and my head feels like it’s going to explode. That’s when I take a calming potion, which helps a little bit.”

“I see,” said Harry.

“You don’t think I’m crazy, do you?”

“Of course not! If anything, I think it’s kind of cool. I mean ... er ... it sucks, obviously, that sometimes it gets so unbearable ... but it’s also interesting, isn’t it?”

“Yeah,” smiled Cedric. “It is,” he watched Harry with a fond look on his face. “Did you enjoy your birthday?” he asked.

“Yeah,” Harry said with a smile. “It was fun.”

Cedric kissed him then. It was a sweet kiss that ended way too quickly to Harry’s liking. He felt he wanted more than this but at the same time he wasn’t sure.

“You okay?” asked Cedric.

“Yeah,” Harry smiled. “Just thinking.”

“Careful with that,” Cedric chuckled.

“Shut up,” said Harry and when Cedric started laughing he kissed him.

Cedric was still chuckling between the kisses. Harry then pushed him to the bed and lay on top of him.

“I’ll give you something to laugh about,” Harry snickered and started tickling Cedric.

“Stop it, I can’t laugh anymore,” Cedric was laughing more and more and tried to push Harry away.

“Okay, I’ll let you live,” Harry laughed and stopped. “But only because I love you.”

“Aww, how sweet,” Cedric smiled and then kissed Harry again. “Hm, I guess I still love you too.”

Harry got up later than usual the next day because he enjoyed the warmth of Cedric snuggling to him in bed. They were both awake but decided to stay in bed for a while longer, just enjoying each other. Cedric was absently playing with Harry’s hair and Harry kept thinking about going back to Hogwarts. He was always very excited to go back. And now he was too. But for the first time, he was also scared. He was scared of leaving Sirius here when he knew Remus was going to go on missions. He was scared of the attention he was going to have due to the articles in _The Daily Prophet_. And most of all, he was scared for Cedric. The fact that he was not going to return to Hogwarts with him was one thing, but now Cedric was exposed to great danger. There wasn’t anything in _The Daily Prophet_ on their relationship yet and Harry was glad. But he was scared there might be in the future. Since Harry was now their old/new celebrity. And if the word got out it meant Cedric was in danger.

“So you’re going to Diagon Alley on Saturday?” asked Cedric, disturbing Harry from his train of thoughts.

“Yeah,” said Harry.

“I’m going to be in the shop, maybe you could stop by?”

“Oh, definitely,” Harry grinned.

On Saturday Harry was picked up by Hagrid who walked with him to the Leaky Cauldron, where they met with the Weasleys and Hermione. The Leaky Cauldron was, for the first time Harry could remember, completely empty, which was very bizarre. All of them then went to Diagon Alley. It has changed. It looked very gloomy, the windows of the shops filled with posters with photos of Death Eaters. Some of the shops had their windows boarded up and seemed to be abandoned. Harry, Ron and Hermione set off to Madam Malkin’s first to get new dress robes. They were accompanied by Hagrid, of course. Mr and Mrs Weasley and Ginny went to Flourish and Blotts in the meantime to get everyone’s books.

In Madam Malkin’s they encountered not a very pleasant surprise. Draco Malfoy was also getting new robes. He was accompanied by his mother. His eyes narrowed as soon as he saw the three of them. Although he was wearing a handsome set of dark green robes, he looked rather ill, in Harry’s opinion. He was skinnier than usual and there was something in his face that Harry couldn’t quite determine.

“If you’re wondering what the smell is, Mother, a Mudblood just walked in,” said Draco Malfoy.

Harry and Ron immediately drew out their wands and pointed them at Malfoy. The shop owner warned everyone to keep this outside of the shop. Narcissa Malfoy scolded Ron and Harry as well with a very cold look.

“If you attack my son again, I shall ensure that it is the last thing you ever do,” she said.

“Going to get a few Death Eater pals to do us in, are you?” said Harry.

Madam Malkin squealed once more but Harry didn’t lower his wand.

“I see that being Dumbledore’s favourite has given you a false sense of security, Harry Potter. But Dumbledore won’t always be there to protect you.”

“Wow ... look at that ... he’s not here now!” said Harry mockingly. “So why not have a go? They might be able to find you a double cell in Azkaban with your loser of a husband!”

“Don’t you dare talk to my mother like that, Potter!” Malfoy snarled.

“It’s all right, Draco,” said Narcissa. “I expect Potter will be reunited with his parents before I am reunited with Lucius.”

Harry raised his wand higher but Hermione grabbed his hand and made him lower it. Madam Malkin decided to act as though nothing has happened and started adjusting Malfoy’s robes again.

“I think this left sleeve could come up a little bit more, dear, let me just – “

“Ouch!” bellowed Malfoy, slapping her hand away. “Watch where you’re putting your pins, woman! Mother – I don’t think I want these any more – “

“You’re right, Draco,” said Narcissa and glanced at Hermione, “now I know the kind of scum that shops here ... we’ll do better at Twilfitt and Tatting’s.”

And with that, they strode off. The three of them then bought their robes and met with Hagrid, who was waiting for them outside of the shop. Soon, Mr and Mrs Weasley appeared with Ginny. They were headed to the apothecary next but since Harry and Ron didn’t need any ingredients as they were no longer studying Potions, they decided to visit Cedric in his shop before going to see Fred and George. Hagrid had to accompany them, of course.

The shop where Cedric worked was called Plantorium and it was located almost at the end of Diagon Alley. It looked very small from the outside but once they walked in, it was clear there was an Expanding Charm on it. In front of the shop was the till and the room was filled with indoor plants of all sorts. Huge windows brought sunlight in and they also seemed to be charmed to bring in as much sunlight as the plants needed. There was a staircase with a sign pointing to it that said “laboratory”. The back of the shop led to a huge greenhouse. There were butterflies, bees and all sorts of birds flying around. Harry was in awe. There seemed to be all sorts of plants, trees and flowers, most of them Harry has never seen in his life. Hagrid seemed to know his way around the shop already and he was gone in the greenhouse soon. Ron found a row of talking plants and seemed to be enjoying a very amusing conversation with them. Harry was just standing in one place, not really sure where to go.

“May I help you?” asked a soft voice behind him.

Harry turned to see a middle-aged witch with very long grey hair. She was wearing a straw hat, very strange coloured shirt, dungarees that seemed to be sewn from multiple different pieces of clothing, none of which were the same colour, and she was completely barefoot. She was that kind of woman Aunt Petunia would pretend not to see if she encountered her on a street.

“Er ... yes ... sorry, is Cedric Diggory here?” asked Harry.

“He is in the laboratory,” the witch smiled. She had a very strong Irish accent. “I’ll call him for you,” she then whistled a strange tune and one of the hummingbirds flew to her. “Go fetch Cedric for me, dear,” she said to the bird and it flew off.

“Wow,” Harry breathed and the witch smiled at him again.

Soon, Cedric was walking down the staircase. Harry noticed that he was also wearing a shirt, although not that strange, and similar dungarees and he wondered if that was the attire of the workers. But as he saw Cedric walking down the stairs, the plants and flowers around him, he found himself out of breath. It was a sight he never wanted to forget.

“Cedric, dear, this young man was asking for you,” the witch said as Cedric walked to them, already smiling at Harry.

“Thank you, Mrs O’Brien,” said Cedric. “This is my boyfriend, Harry. Harry, this is Mrs O’Brien, my boss.”

“I told you to call me Niamh,” said Mrs O’Brien. “And it’s lovely to meet you, Harry. I only read about you in the paper but I don’t tend to make an opinion on people from the articles in _The Daily Prophet,_ ” she shook Harry’s hand, her grip was very strong.

“Er ... nice to meet you,” Harry managed to get out.

“Well, I’ll let Cedric show you around the shop, then” she smiled and walked off.

“Hi,” said Cedric and hugged Harry.

“Hey,” Harry smiled, “I had no idea this was your work attire,” he said motioning to Cedric’s dungarees.

“Oh yeah,” Cedric blushed. “I had to get multiple pair of different colours and patterns, it’s quite embarrassing.”

“What are you talking about? I love it, can you wear this all the time, please?” said Harry.

“Er ... really?”

“Yes, you look cute,” Harry blurted out and then immediately blushed.

“Oh ... I guess I should wear them more often then,” Cedric said, also very red now.

“We should also get you a straw hat,” said Harry.

“I’m not wearing a straw hat,” chuckled Cedric. “Come on, let me show you around.”

“Sure,” Harry nodded. “Hagrid is also here, he went to the greenhouse. And Ron is talking to the talking flowers.”

“Oh yes, they tend to be quite chatty.”

They found Ron in a heated discussion with the flowers about how to ask someone out. When Ron realised Harry and Cedric were there he went completely red.

“It’s just ... they only talk about romance,” said Ron nervously.

“Well, they pick a topic that they know concerns the person talking to them the most,” said Cedric and that only made Ron blush more.

“Are you gonna ask Hermione out again?” asked Harry and smiled.

“I dunno,” Ron shrugged. “I dunno if she wants me to, she hasn’t exactly said anything about it since I did the first time.”

“You should,” said Harry.

Cedric then walked them around the shop, showing them different plants and flowers. They walked to the greenhouse where they found Hagrid, who was admiring the pumpkin tomatoes.

“This place is incredible,” said Harry once they finished the tour. “It’s like a whole different world.”

“I’m glad you like it,” smiled Cedric.

“I’ll come back later, ter get the pumpkin tomatoes,” said Hagrid. “But we hafta go now ... I bet Mrs Weasley is already wonderin’ where ye guys are.”

“You’re going to the twins’ shop?” asked Cedric.

“Yeah,” replied Harry.

“I’ll ask if I can take a break and I’ll come with you.”

They waited for Cedric to get permission to go from Mrs O’Brien, who gave it to him with a smile. She waved at Harry before they left the shop. They walked to the Weasley’s Wizard Wheezes, where they found the Mr and Mrs Weasley with Hermione and Ginny. The shop was unbelievable. Harry was astonished how big it was and how many products the twins seemed to have. He was incredibly proud of them and very glad he gave them his Triwizard winnings. Fred and George gave them the tour, explaining all the different products and jokes.

“This is so cool!” said Harry in awe.

“Aw, thanks, Harry,” said Fred.

“Take anything you want, you gave us our starter loan, you don’t pay,” said George.

“Oh, no, I couldn’t,” Harry shook his head. “I’m gonna pay.”

“You pay by being cute then,” winked Fred and Cedric cleared his throat. “Oh, well Cedric you could get a discount too, you know,” he laughed.

“Fred, that’s not good business,” said George.

“It’s good fun, though,” shrugged Fred.

Luckily for Harry, the next conversation was focused on Ginny and her dating Dean Thomas. The twins and Ron were basically interviewing her so Harry and Cedric took this opportunity to have a look around. Out of the window, Harry saw Draco Malfoy hurrying up the street alone.

“Wonder where his mommy is,” said Harry frowning.

“What?” asked Cedric.

“We met them at Madam Malkin’s,” he explained. “It’s strange, she wouldn’t let him wander around alone. He must be up to something if he ran out on his mother.”

“Perhaps,” shrugged Cedric.

Harry glanced around and when he saw no one was paying them attention, he pulled his Invisibility Cloak out of his bag.

“Get under here, quick!” he said to Cedric.

“What? Why?” asked Cedric, confused.

“Come on!”

Cedric hesitated for a second, glancing around them, then he ducked under the Cloak with Harry. They walked outside of the shop and rushed to the direction Malfoy went. Soon, they caught up to him. Malfoy glanced around himself and then turned left to the Knockturn Alley. They followed him quickly. Malfoy walked into a shop called Borgin and Burkes, which sold a wide variety of sinister objects. Malfoy was talking to the owner of the shop, Mr Borgin.

“If only we could hear them,” said Harry.

“Hm,” frowned Cedric, who seemed not to be enjoying this stalking adventure. “I’ve got an Extendable Ear from the twins' shop,” he said.

“Brilliant!” beamed Harry.

So they pushed the string towards the bottom of the door and listened.

“ ... you know how to fix it?”

“Possibly,” said Borgin. “I’ll need to see it though. Why don’t you bring it into the shop?”

“I can’t,” said Malfoy. “It’s got to stay put. I just need you to tell me how to do it.”

“Well, without seeing it, I must say it will be a very difficult job, perhaps impossible. I couldn’t guarantee anything.”

“No?” said Malfoy with a sneer. “Perhaps this will make you more confident.”

He moved towards Borgin and was blocked from the view by a cabinet. All Harry and Cedric could see was Borgin looking very frightened.

“Tell anyone,” said Malfoy, “and there will be retribution. You know Fenrir Greyback? He’s a family friend, he’ll be dropping in from time to time to make sure you’re giving the problem your full attention. Not a word to anyone, Borgin, and that includes my mother.”

Malfoy strode out of the shop, looking very pleased with himself. Inside the shop, Borgin looked worried.

“That was very strange,” said Harry.

“Let’s go back,” said Cedric and didn’t comment on what happened any further.

They hurried back to the twins' shop. Their absence didn’t go unnoticed, Mrs Weasley looked already very anxious. Harry quickly hid his Invisibility Cloak as they walked to the group as if nothing happened. Harry insisted that they were in the shop the whole time and that Mrs Weasley just didn’t notice them.

“Look how dishevelled they both look,” said Fred. “I think we all know what you two were off doing,” he winked.

“Wha-what ... er ... no,” stammered Harry, completely red.

“Fred! What did I tell you about these jokes! They are not funny!” squealed Mrs Weasley.

“Er ... well ... I think I should head back to work,” said Cedric, also completely red.

“We’ll walk with you, Cedric, dear,” said Mrs Weasley. “And then we’ll go home.”

They all walked together to the Plantorium. Harry wasn’t sure if Cedric was pointedly avoiding mentioning the whole Malfoy thing or if he was still embarrassed by what Fred said.

“I’ll talk to you later,” said Cedric as they stopped in front of the shop. He hugged Harry, kissed his cheek and whispered: “don’t get too hung up on Malfoy, alright.”

Harry frowned at that bud nodded eventually. Cedric then said goodbye to everyone and entered the shop. They left the Diagon Alley and Harry was supposed to be escorted by Hagrid back to the Grimmauld Place while the other Weasleys and Hermione would go back to the Burrow.

“I need to talk to you guys,” Harry whispered as they were almost at the point of separating.

Ron and Hermione looked at him oddly but then nodded.

“Mom,” said Ron, “can we go back with Harry? We can floo back home.”

“Oh, as long as you stick with Hagrid on the way there,” said Mrs Weasley sternly. “And if you’re going to stay there for dinner, you come back home no later than at ten.”

“Alright,” nodded Ron.

“We’ll be careful, Mrs Weasley,” said Hermione.

They walked to Grimmauld Place with Hagrid. Remus tried to convince Hagrid to stay for dinner but he had to return back to Hogwarts. Harry hugged him goodbye before he left, excited to see him soon in school.

“Well, are you guys staying for dinner?” asked Remus.

“If that’s okay,” said Hermione with a smile.

“Sure,” smiled Remus. “I’ll start cooking soon, we’ll call you when it’s time to eat.”

“Where is Sirius?” asked Harry, worried.

“Your godfather is sulking,” Remus sighed.

“Why?”

“Er ... I have another mission tomorrow, it’s probably going to be a bit longer than usual,” Remus replied.

Harry knew that longer meant more dangerous.

“But the full moon was just a few days ago, I thought you were getting more time to rest,” said Harry.

“It’s a werewolf mission,” said Remus. “It’s easier to do this close after the full moon.”

“I see,” Harry frowned. He knew Remus was not going to give in any more details.

“Anyway, Sirius was not happy about it ... he’s in his dog form somewhere in the house, doesn’t want to talk to me,” he said. “It’s okay, Harry, though, don’t worry too much about it, okay?”

“Okay,” Harry nodded but he did worry about it.

He led Ron and Hermione to his room and they all sat down on the bed.

“Are they okay?” asked Ron.

“I hope so,” shrugged Harry. “They don’t fight usually ... they just bicker. But since Remus’s been going on these missions, Sirius’s been really on edge.”

“I could see why,” said Hermione. “I mean, it must not be easy.”

“Yeah,” said Harry. “I’m just worried about him because I’ll go to Hogwarts soon.”

“He’ll be okay, mate,” said Ron. “The Order is probably going to be popping in here all the time, so I’m sure he’ll stay busy.”

“I hope so,” Harry sighed. “But that’s not what I wanted to talk about. Cedric and I saw Malfoy running to the Knockturn Alley when we were in the twins’ shop, so we followed him.”

“I knew you disappeared!” Hermione exclaimed.

Harry then told them everything they saw and heard. Ron and Hermione were both frowning suspiciously.

“What do you think it was about?” asked Ron.

“I don’t know but it seemed ...,” Harry trailed on.

“... fishy,” Hermione finished for him. “What did Cedric say about it?”

“Nothing, really,” said Harry. “We didn’t have the chance to discuss it. He only told me not to get hung up on it.”

“Hm, maybe he’s right,” shrugged Hermione.

“But it sounded to me like Borgin’s got some broken object and Malfoy wants it,” said Harry. “And his father’s in Azkaban. Maybe he’s planning some sort of revenge.”

Ron looked up at Harry, blinking.

“Malfoy, revenge? What can he do about it?”

“That’s my point, I don’t know!” said Harry, frustrated. “But he’s up to something and I think we should take it seriously. His father’s a Death Eater and –“

Harry broke off, a startling thought had just occurred to him.

“Harry?” said Hermione in an anxious voice. “What’s wrong?”

“Your scar’s not hurting again, is it?” asked Ron nervously.

“He’s a Death Eater,” said Harry slowly. “He’s replaced his father as a Death Eater!”

There was a silence, then Ron erupted in laughter.

“ _Malfoy?_ He’s sixteen, Harry! You think You-Know-Who would let _Malfoy_ join?”

“It seems very unlikely, Harry,” said Hermione. “What makes you think -?”

“In Madam Malkin’s. She didn’t touch him, but he yelled and jerked his arm away from her when she went to roll up his sleeve. It was his left arm. He’s been branded with the Dark Mark. And he showed Borgin something we couldn’t see! Something that seriously scared Borgin. It was the Mark, I know it – he was showing Borgin who he was dealing with!”

Ron and Hermione were still not convinced, which made Harry annoyed.

“Maybe you should talk to Sirius and Remus about it,” said Hermione. “See what they think. But I really think you shouldn’t jump to conclusions so quickly.”

“Yeah, mate,” said Ron. “It was probably just a coincidence.”

“Fine,” muttered Harry.

It was just the moment when Remus knocked on Harry’s door to tell them dinner was ready. He eyed them suspiciously, noticing the weird tension between them but didn’t comment on it. They walked to the kitchen. There was still no sign of Sirius.

“Should I go get him?” asked Harry.

“If you can, please. I think he’s in the attic,” said Remus. “Tell him I cooked his favourite meal.”

Harry walked to the attic, where Padfoot was lying under the roof window. The attic was full of weird objects, most of the things they wanted to get rid of. It was a strange place. There was a chest in which Harry knew were hidden all the heads of the house-elves that used to be on the wall. There was the painting of Sirius’s mother that they managed to take down and put a charm on it so it wouldn’t scream anymore. It was hidden under a blanket, however. There were a lot of books around as well. Most of the books about Dark and Forbidden Magic. The place was miserable. Harry had no idea why Sirius would hide here of all places.

“Padfoot,” he said softly and the dog stirred and looked up. “Dinner’s ready, Remus cooked your favourite.”

Padfoot only laid his head back on his paws and ignored Harry.

“Ron and Hermione are here too,” said Harry but there was no reaction to that either. “I understand why you’re upset,” he sighed. “I’m worried about him too. But it’s not his fault there’s a war going on. And I guess it’s not easy on him either.”

Padfoot looked up again.

“You know, it must be hard going out there, being a werewolf, and worrying about you and me.”

Padfoot growled.

“He and Cedric are a lot alike, I think,” continued Harry. “They take things as they are and do everything they can for the people they love.”

Padfoot nodded.

“You can be upset at the war, the Order, or Voldemort, or whatever,” said Harry. “I am too. But I don’t think you should be upset with Remus.”

Padfoot got up and it was silent for a while. Then he changed back into his human form and immediately hugged Harry.

“You’re more like your mother every day,” he said. “In a very you sort of way.”

Harry smiled.

“Thank you,” said Sirius. “Come on, let’s go eat.”

They walked back to the kitchen where everyone was waiting for them already. Remus looked at Sirius nervously, clearly not sure what to expect from him.

“It smells lovely in here,” said Sirius with a smile and walked to Remus and kissed his cheek, which seemed to relax Remus.

They sat down and started eating. Hermione kept nudging Harry to tell Sirius and Remus about Malfoy and Harry eventually did.

“You shouldn’t wander off like this, Harry,” said Remus sternly. “Everyone is going through so much trouble so you can be safe and the first chance you get you wander off to the Knockturn Alley?!”

“Yes, I’m sorry, but don’t you think I might be right?”

“No,” said Remus. “I don’t think Voldemort would recruit Malfoy at such a young age.”

“Regulus was young when he got recruited,” said Sirius and silence fell in the room.

Sirius almost never mentioned his brother and Harry never asked, he knew it was somewhat a touchy subject. Remus looked at Sirius, clearly thinking about what he should say next.

“But what use would Voldemort have of the boy?” said Remus then.

“I don’t know,” shrugged Sirius. “But now that Lucius is in Azkaban, I suppose they needed another way to torment the child.”

“What do you mean?” Harry frowned.

“Let’s just say I heard some pretty disturbing things about Malfoys’ parenting method from Andromeda,” said Sirius.

Harry exchanged a look with Ron and Hermione. That was a side of Malfoy they never heard about.

“He’s still a stupid git, though,” said Ron. “Don’t think he’d get in their little dark club.”

The subject was dropped there. Ron and Hermione stayed for a while after dinner and they talked about other things. Sirius and Remus seemed to be on good terms again, which was a relief. Ron and Hermione left a little bit after nine, which was when Cedric called Harry through the fireplace.

“Did you tell Ron and Hermione?” he asked.

“Yeah,” said Harry. “I’m suspicious Malfoy is a Death Eater but everyone thinks it’s stupid.”

“A Death Eater?” frowned Cedric. “I don’t know, Harry...”

“It makes sense!”

“Maybe ... but I wouldn’t jump to this conclusion straight away,” said Cedric. “Anyway, I think you should pay less attention to him, especially when you’re back at Hogwarts. You’ll have more important things to worry about.”

“Hm ... alright,” said Harry, still a bit frustrated. “How was the rest of your day?”

“Pretty good,” smiled Cedric. “Listen, how about you come to stay with me the last week of August before you go to Hogwarts?”

“Sure,” beamed Harry. “I’d love to, that sounds great!”

“Okay, cool! Well, I gotta go now. Love you!”

“Love you too, bye,” smiled Harry and with that Cedric disappeared and Harry went off to bed.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay, so I wanted to finish the whole summer with this chapter but it was getting long, so there is still gonna be a bit of Harry's summer in the next chapter.  
> Also, I really want Harry to learn how to be an Animagus and I think it would be cool to explore.  
> Oh and you can read something about Wiggentrees here https://harrypotter.fandom.com/wiki/Wiggentree :)  
> Can we appreciate Cedric's workplace? I got really excited when I was making that up because I love plants.  
> Thank you for reading, I hope you enjoyed ♥


	21. Tiny Steps

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Harry spends time with Cedric and he goes back to school!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay, first of all, thank you all so much for the lovely responses, I really appreciate it ♥  
> I'm also sorry this chapter is later than usual, I've started being quite busy again so it might take me more time to post chapters now, sorry.  
> I've been informed to put in warnings and I'm really sorry I didn't, I always forgot >.<. So I will go back and put the warnings before each chapter but please be patient, it might take me some time ♥
> 
> Enjoy!!
> 
> (CW: dark thoughts, panic/anxiety attacks, tiny tiny smut, talking about sex, talking about child abuse)

Harry had a lot on his mind in the following days. Despite everyone telling him to forget about the whole Malfoy encounter, he found himself pondering upon it almost every day. He was frustrated no one else seemed to give it as much value as Harry did. Was he getting strangely obsessed with the whole thing? No, he was just being careful.

Harry was extremely excited to spend the last week of his holiday with Cedric. If a year ago someone told him this was going to be his life soon, he would probably just laugh in their face. Sometimes he just couldn’t believe how lucky he was. But the invasive thoughts would always come. They were a regular resident in Harry’s head by now. He kept thinking about Hogwarts. Although he was excited to go back, he couldn’t stop being worried as well. He was worried about leaving Sirius here alone. He was worried about not being close to Cedric anymore. And with Cedric, he was also worried about him being in danger all the time. What scared him as well, was the dark thought that Cedric was soon going to form his new adult life and realise that maybe Harry is too immature for him. _He would never think that you daft baboon,_ Harry scolded himself in his head. _But you haven’t even slept with him,_ came another thought, _it’s not like he’s going to wait around forever._ Harry sighed. Honestly, with all the dangerous things happening, he chose to worry about something as insignificant as this. Besides, Cedric said he was going to wait until Harry was ready, even if he wasn’t ever ready. So there was no need to worry. _Come on, it’s going to get boring to him soon, there’s not much more personality you can give._ Harry stopped himself. He was not going to go down that road again. He stood up from his bed and walked over to the library, where he found the book from Hermione. He started reading through it. After a while, he decided he needed to talk to someone.

He called the Weasleys through the fireplace in the kitchen. He wanted to talk to Hermione, as she always had the best advice. He thought about going to Sirius with this but felt a bit embarrassed to do so.

“Er ... hello?” he called.

“Hey, Harry!” came a voice of one of the twins. Harry realised it was George when he finally saw him and George didn’t wink at him as Fred normally would.

“Harry! What a nice surprise!” beamed Fred and winked.

“Er ... hi ... is Hermione there?”

“Oh, she and Ginny went for a walk to escape Fleur,” said George.

“I think Ron went with them too, sorry Harry,” said Fred.

“Oh, okay,” said Harry, a bit disappointed.

“Can we help you?” asked George.

“Yeah, Mom asked us to clean, so we have all the free time in the world,” said Fred.

“Er ... no ... it’s okay ... don’t worry,” Harry blabbered.

“What is it, Harry?” asked Fred.

“Yeah, you’re like an open book, you know. We know if you’re ... you know ... anxious,” said George.

“Er ... I just wanted her advice ... it’s ... er ... it’s related to Cedric ... I don’t think you can help,” he stuttered.

“Well, I probably can’t but Fred can,” said George.

“And you know, I’m more than happy to, Harry,” said Fred.

“No ... really ... I’ll be fine,” Harry insisted.

“Come on, I swear I won’t even flirt with you,” said Fred.

“I mean what else are you gonna do, Harry?” asked George.

“Er ... I don’t know.”

“Okay, I’m coming to see you, anything to save myself from cleaning,” said Fred. “Sorry, Georgie.”

“Pff, not fair,” whined George. “You owe me, Fred.”

Harry then was pushed away from the fireplace and soon Fred flooed himself into Grimmauld Place.

“You really didn’t have to come,” said Harry. “It’s kind of ... er ... I’m fine, really.”

“Oh, come on, Harry, do you think I don’t recognize queer panic when I see one?” chuckled Fred. “You know, I’ve been around.”

Harry wasn’t sure what that meant but he supposed Fred was his best option at the moment. So he started making tea and then they walked upstairs to Harry’s room.

“Sirius and Remus?” asked Fred.

“Remus is on a mission,” said Harry. “Sirius is somewhere in the house but he’s always kind of sad when Remus is gone.”

“I see,” Fred nodded. “So why don’t you talk to him?”

“Er ... it’s kind of embarrassing ... I don’t know.”

“Oh, okay,” Fred said knowingly. “Care to share then?”

“Er ...,” Harry trailed on, completely red in the face. “I’m going to Cedric’s in a few days ... I guess I’m just a bit nervous,” he mumbled.

“But I thought Cedric already stayed with you before, no?” Fred asked, perplexed.

“Yeah ... but only a few times overnight ... I’m gonna stay there the whole week,” Harry explained.

“Okay, so what is the problem exactly?” Fred asked, still confused.

“Er ... it’s not a problem ... really ... I’m just overthinking it again ... I don’t even know,” Harry rambled.

“Wait, wait,” said Fred. “Are you worried about his parents?”

“A little bit,” said Harry. “But I’ve met them before, and his mom is really lovely. His dad seems to be okay with me now.”

“Okay ... so it’s something else you’re worried about?”

“Er ... you know what, Fred, I really appreciate this ... but it’s okay ... really ... it’s stupid anyway ... and it’s just in my head,” Harry rambled again.

“Hey, just because it’s in your head, doesn’t mean it’s stupid,” Fred said kindly and there was no hint of a joke, which Harry found a bit strange.

“You sound like Hermione,” said Harry.

“Thanks, I’m trying my best.”

“When did you figure all this out?” Harry asked then. “I mean ... how are you so open?”

“Well, Harry,” said Fred wisely. “I master the delicate art of not giving a single shit about anything,” he smiled.

“Oh. Yeah, of course,” chuckled Harry.

“It wasn’t easy,” Fred sighed. “But I’m lucky, you know. I have a great family. And even though Mom is kinda scary, I was never afraid to be myself.”

“Yeah,” Harry smiled. “I wasn’t really afraid, either.”

“When people love you, they love you for who you are. And this is a part of you as any other. So, my family and friends don’t love me despite being queer, they love me because I’m me. And that part of myself is just like any other. It’s like my ginger hair or freckles, it’s me. Do you understand?”

“Yes,” said Harry. “I don’t think I’m having a crisis over this really ... I know my friends and family love me.”

“Yeah, but I feel like you still needed to hear that,” said Fred.

“Thanks,” smiled Harry. “I guess I’m just worried about certain expectations,” he said very quietly.

“What expectations?” Fred asked and Harry blushed. “Wait ... you haven’t slept together yet?” he asked a bit too loudly.

“Er ... no,” said Harry quietly, completely red.

“And that’s what you’re worried about?”

“Well ... yes and no,” said Harry. “It’s not like Cedric is pressuring me into anything ... it’s actually the opposite.”

“You’re pressuring him?” Fred asked, confused.

“No! Not at all,” said Harry. “He’s ... you know ... very respectful.”

“Oh, yeah, I can see that,” Fred smiled. “So? What’s the problem then?”

“I just ... don’t want him to get bored of me, I guess,” Harry sighed.

Fred laughed.

“Sorry,” he chuckled. “I just don’t think you have to worry about that with Cedric.”

“I know, it’s just ...,” Harry trailed on.

“I think you should ask yourself – do you _want_ to sleep with him?”

“Er ... yes ... I think I do.”

“Look, Harry, I can’t help you unless you talk me through it. I’m not a mind reader,” Fred said.

“It’s ... I think I want something more than what we have now. But at the same time, I’m happy with what we have now.”

“Something more doesn’t necessarily mean sex, you know.”

“I guess,” Harry shrugged.

“Look, I’m very open when it comes to these things. I don’t mind talking about it and I don’t see sex as a big deal, I don’t see it as that important, in fact. It’s just good fun for me,” said Fred. “But that’s just how I feel about it, it’s okay to feel differently.”

Harry nodded. “I never thought I was going to be able to love someone so much,” he said. “So it feels right to do. But what if I won’t like it? I like him so I should like that too ... but what if I don’t?”

“Then you tell him,” said Fred simply. “Cedric will understand.”

“I don’t want to frustrate him or anything, you know.”

“I’m sure you won’t,” Fred smiled. “And there are so many different ways to have sex, you just need to find one that you enjoy. And if you won’t find any, it’s okay. You’ll do something else together instead ... like plant flowers,” he chuckled.

“I guess,” Harry smiled. “Thanks.”

“Look, the important thing is to tell him what you want and what you don’t want. He loves you and you love him. Sometimes, that’s all that matters,” said Fred. “Not that I would really know anything about that.”

“What? I thought you were the expert,” said Harry.

“On sex, not love,” chuckled Fred. “I was never in love.”

“Never?”

“Nope,” he shrugged. “I’m still young, though, there’s plenty of time,” he smiled.

“Yeah,” smiled Harry. “You’re really great, Fred.”

“Aw, I’m gonna write that in my diary,” chuckled Fred. “Dear Diary, you won’t believe what happened to me! The one and only Harry Potter – yes the cute Boy Who Lived, thank you very much – told me I’m great today! I think I can die peacefully now.”

Harry started laughing at that.

“But I can’t wait to be in love, I heard the sex is so much better,” Fred snorted. “I mean it’s great now, so I’m really curious.”

“And ... er ... the first time ... was it ... er ... weird?” asked Harry, blushing again. “I’m sorry, you don’t have to answer that.”

“No, it okay,” chuckled Fred. “I’m not gonna lie to you, it was awkward. But awkward doesn’t mean bad, you know. Most things you’ll do for the first time are gonna be awkward,” he shrugged.

“I guess,” Harry nodded. “So you never dated anyone?”

“Not really. I mean I went on dates but nothing serious ever came out of it. Most of the times, I got annoyed when they couldn’t tell a difference between me and George,” he confessed.

“Oh, how do you mean?”

“You know, having a twin is great. And it’s good fun to play pranks on Mom, confusing her which one is which. But it’s kind of annoying after some time if you’re with someone and that person keeps confusing you two. I can’t really blame them, I know it’s hard. But still.”

“Yeah, I think I understand,” said Harry. “Sorry if I confuse you two sometimes.”

“Oh, no, it’s okay, Harry!” Fred smiled. “Don’t worry, I don’t mind when it comes to you,” he winked.

“Hey, you said you won’t do that!” Harry chuckled.

“Sorry, it’s just a habit,” Fred laughed. “So, did my eternal wisdom help you?”

“Yeah, thank you.”

“Anytime.”

There was a knock on the door and then Sirius came in. He looked surprised to see Fred there and looked weirdly at Harry.

“Hi, Fred?” he said, a bit unsure about which twin he was. “I thought I heard voices, thought Cedric was here.”

“Hi, Sirius,” smiled Fred. “I was just about to go. Can’t leave all the cleaning to poor George.”

“Well, thanks again,” said Harry. “Oh, and can you not tell Ron and Hermione about this? Don’t want them to worry too much.”

“No problem,” said Fred and hugged Harry before leaving.

Sirius gave Harry that strange look again and Harry was confused.

“You’re okay, Sirius?” he asked.

“Er ... you’re not seeing Fred now, are you?” Sirius asked. “I mean, it’s okay if you are, he’s nice and all.”

“I’m not,” chuckled Harry.

“Okay ... it’s just ... I can see he has a crush on you ... so I thought,” he trailed on.

“He’s only joking,” said Harry quickly. “I just needed advice, that’s all.”

“Oh ... well, you could have come to me,” said Sirius bit sheepishly.

“I know ... I ... I was just embarrassed a bit,” Harry mumbled.

“Okay but you can talk to me or Remus about anything,” he smiled.

“It’s okay now but I’ll come to you if I have any future teenage drama,” Harry chuckled. “Which should be soon probably.”

“Sure,” Sirius smiled and ruffled Harry’s hair. “Listen, do you still have the mirror I gave you last Christmas?”

“What mirror?”

“Remember? I gave it to you when you went back to school.”

“Oh,” Harry said in realization. “I never opened it, sorry. I was afraid it might be something that would make it easier for Umbridge to find you,” he said in a small voice.

“Oh, that’s okay,” said Sirius. “Do you still have it, though?”

“Yeah, it’s in my trunk, just a second,” Harry went to his trunk and grabbed the small package. He opened it and it was a small pocket mirror.

“James and I used this to communicate with each other. I have the other one. Remus has one too,” Sirius explained. “Anyway, I thought I’ give you mine as well, since I can share with Remus. And you can give mine to Cedric. So you guys can talk properly when you’re in Hogwarts.”

“Oh, that’s ... that’s great!” Harry beamed, surprised. “Thank you so much!” he hugged Sirius. “I’m sorry I didn’t use it before.”

“Don’t worry about it, I understand,” Sirius smiled. “So, you excited to see Cedric?”

“Yeah,” Harry blushed. “But I don’t want to leave you here alone.”

“It’s okay, you have fun,” said Sirius kindly. “Besides, Remus should be home soon and it’s going to be the full moon on the 28th so he should be free to stay for a while.”

“That’s good,” said Harry. “Not the full moon but that he gets to stay.”

“Yeah. But you still coming the last day, right? Before you leave for Hogwarts?”

“Of course! I wouldn’t leave without saying goodbye.”

“Good,” smiled Sirius.

Two days later, Harry was ready to go to Cedric’s. He was nervous and excited at the same time. He was worried a bit about Cedric’s parents even though he knew they were okay with him by now. So in the morning, Harry said goodbye to Sirius and Remus, who came back the night before and used the floo to get to the Diggory household.

He appeared in the living room, where Cedric was already waiting for him. Harry noticed he was wearing another pair of bright dungarees and it made him happy. As soon as he saw Harry he smiled widely and rushed to hug him tightly.

“Hi,” said Harry into his chest.

“Hey,” said Cedric and kissed the top of Harry’s head. “Come on, let’s take your things to my room.”

Cedric led Harry out of the living room and they went upstairs. Cedric’s home was lovely, Harry thought. The house was almost completely wooden and had many windows so it was very bright inside. There were flowers almost in every corner or on every shelf, Harry noticed. So he suspected Cedric wasn’t the only one who loved plants in their family. The house was full of magic, much like the Burrow. There was a broom sweeping by itself, or the sink had dishes that were cleaning themselves. On the walls, there were paintings, some of them magical paintings of people, which Harry assumed were Cedric’s ancestors. There were also some family photos on the walls. Some of them were of Cedric as a child and Harry swore to himself he would have to explore all of them later. The whole house just seemed like a “happy family” house and Harry felt very warm inside. Cedric led him into his room that was just full of plants.

“This is adorable,” said Harry as soon as he walked in.

“Thanks,” Cedric blushed. “Mom and Dad are both working now. Do you want to see the garden?”

“Sure,” Harry beamed.

“You’ll see Buckbeak again,” said Cedric. “Oh and I have to warn you, we have quite a lot of animals. Dad tends to rescue them often.”

“That’s okay, I like animals,” smiled Harry.

Cedric showed him the rest of the house and then they made their way to the garden, which was rather large. It went all the way to the forest that was behind the house. Buckbeak seemed very happy to live there. According to Cedric he often wandered into the forest but he always returned. They indeed had a lot of animals. Just inside the house, Harry spotted about three cats and what he was sure was a kneazle. In the garden, there were two huge dogs running around but they were very friendly and eager to play. They had some chickens and also two goats. They also had a horse, which was guarded by a porlock. Cedric told Harry that because his dad worked in the Department for Regulation and Control of the Magical Creatures, he often visited households where they mistreated their animals. And if he couldn’t find a proper home for these animals, he would just take them home. It surprised Harry because Amos Diggory always seemed to him to be very stern and strict.

Cedric then led him into the greenhouse. The greenhouse seemed small from the outside but it was again enchanted by the enlarging spell and it was big on the inside. It was wonderful, Harry thought.

“This is amazing,” Harry said excitedly. “How do you ever want to leave this place?”

“Oh, well,” Cedric shrugged. “There are things outside of this place worth leaving it.”

“Like what?” Harry chuckled.

“You,” said Cedric simply.

Harry immediately blushed. Then he walked over to Cedric and brought Cedric’s face down to his. They were only millimetres apart and Cedric was smiling at him.

“You’re brilliant,” Harry breathed against Cedric’s mouth and then kissed him deeply.

They went back to the house and Harry helped Cedric make lunch. Mrs Diggory arrived a little bit later.

“Oh, it smells so lovely here, boys,” she smiled as she came into the kitchen. “Hi, Harry, so lovely to see you,” she said and hugged Harry.

“Hi, Mrs Diggory, nice to see you too,” said Harry nervously.

“Oh, please, call me Constance,” she said kindly.

“Er ... okay,” Harry stammered. “Thank you for letting me stay here ... er ... Constance.”

“Of course, Harry, dear, our door is always open for you,” she smiled.

“How was work?” Cedric asked her then.

“There’s more and more injured Aurors every day,” she sighed. “I’m going to have to start working full time in September.”

“I hope you’re being careful,” said Cedric.

“Of course I am, my sunflower,” she said and kissed Cerdic’s cheek. “Well, I’m going to have some of the delicious lunch you made. You boys go have fun, I’ll call you later for dinner.”

“Sunflower?” Harry asked once they were in the garden and Cedric blushed.

“Oh yeah ... that’s one of the embarrassing things my mom calls me,” he said. “Prepare to hear a lot of that, also probably ‘pet’, ‘cherry’, ‘petal’, and oh when she thinks I’m being rude she calls me ‘cactus’.”

“That’s cute,” Harry smiled. He couldn’t help but wonder what his own mother would call him if she were alive. He wasn’t jealous of Cedric or anything, sometimes it was just hard not to have these thoughts.

“I’m sure she’ll make up some for you soon too,” said Cedric. “She loves doing that.”

Harry smiled. They spent the rest of their day playing with the animals, which was nice. Harry wasn’t allowed to go anywhere outside the house or garden so they couldn’t go on a walk with the dogs or anything. But Harry was quite happy just staying in the garden since it was so peaceful. In the evening, Mr Diggory came from work and Mrs Diggory called them for dinner. Harry was a bit nervous about Mr Diggory but he greeted Harry with a smile and patted him on the shoulder so Harry was a bit calmer.

“So Harry, excited for Hogwarts?” asked Amos Diggory while they were eating.

“Yeah,” smiled Harry. “I’ve been made the Quidditch Captain so I’m pretty excited.”

“That’s lovely. Ced told me you’re quite impressive on the broom.”

“I’m alright,” Harry blushed.

“Even Viktor Krum said Harry’s flying is impressive,” said Cedric.

“You think you might want to pursue that in the future, dear?” asked Mrs Diggory.

“Er ... I don’t know ... I’m kind of not thinking much about the future,” said Harry nervously.

“Why not? You’re just about to start your N.E.W.T.s classes before you know it, you've graduated,” said Mr Diggory.

“Dad,” said Cedric, “I think Harry has other things on his mind right now.”

Amos Diggory was quiet for a while as if he hadn’t realized.

“Oh, of course, of course,” he said then. “But it’s always nice to think about brighter times, don’t you think?”

“Yeah,” Harry nodded. “I guess you’re right. I thought about being an Auror but I didn’t get the right marks. I’m sure I’ll come up with something I want to do soon.”

“Being an Auror is overrated anyway,” said Mr Diggory. “You should do something you enjoy, like Ced,” he smiled and patted Cedric on the back and Cedric looked embarrassed.

“Cedric’s job is wonderful,” said Harry.

“It is,” smiled Mrs Diggory. “And Mrs O’Brien is just lovely.”

They continued in their small talk throughout dinner and Harry felt less and less nervous. It was nice, he almost felt like he belonged. Later that evening, when they were getting ready for bed, Harry couldn’t help but think about how this summer he has been the happiest he’s ever been. He was smiling at the thought and at the warmness in his heart.

“What is it?” asked Cedric when he looked at him.

“Nothing,” Harry shrugged. “I’m just happy, that’s all.”

“I’m glad,” smiled Cedric and yawned. “Can you be happy in bed though? I’m really tired.”

“Sure,” Harry smiled and climbed in next to Cedric.

Cedric cuddled to him and placed a kiss on top of his head. “Good night, sweetie.”

Harry woke up early the next morning. Cedric was still asleep and Harry climbed out of the bed very carefully. He crept downstairs to the kitchen where he met with Mrs Diggory, who was just getting ready to leave.

“Good morning,” said Harry.

“Oh, morning, Harry, dear, you’re up early,” she smiled.

“I was wondering if I could make some breakfast for Cedric,” he said timidly.

“Of course,” she looked at him kindly. “Help yourself to anything, I’m going to work now. Amos is already gone too. You boys have fun today, please remind Cedric to feed all the animals,” she said and then she left through the fireplace.

Harry made breakfast and brought it back upstairs to Cedric’s room. Cedric seemed to be still asleep. Harry chuckled to himself when he looked at the sight of him. He was clutching hard to the blanket, snoring softly and his hair was all over the place. Harry placed the tray on the bedside table and crawled back into the bed.

“Mmm,” mumbled Cedric sleepily and instantly cuddled to Harry instead of the blanket. “...mmwhere did you go?”

“I made breakfast,” said Harry softly.

“How did I deserve that?” asked Cedric and opened his eyes slowly.

“Hm, by being lovely,” murmured Harry and climbed on top of Cedric to kiss him.

Cedric softly kissed him back and Harry didn’t want it to stop. He clutched to Cedric tightly and he remembered his talk with Fred.

“We should have sex,” he found himself saying into Cedric’s chest.

“Wha -,” Cedric coughed, “er ... now?”

“Maybe,” Harry shrugged.

“Is this why you made me breakfast?” Cedric chuckled.

“No, that was out of pure love,” said Harry. “Not that this wouldn’t be ... er ..,” he was blushing now.

“Are-are you sure?” stuttered Cedric.

“I think so. I mean ... er ... do _you_ want to?”

“Yeah, of course,” Cedric smiled. “I just want you to be sure.”

“I am ... I-I had a talk with Fred,” he admitted.

“Oh.”

“It was helpful.”

“Good. But you could have told me if you were freaking about it.”

“I know, I know ... I wanted to talk to Hermione originally. But she wasn’t there and Fred offered,” explained Harry.

“Okay,” Cedric smiled. “I’m happy you talked to someone and not just your head.”

“So ... er ...”

Cedric kissed him slowly and flipped them gently over so that he was lying on top of Harry. He was soon placing gentle kisses on Harry’s neck. It felt nice, Harry decided but he wasn’t sure what to do. So he placed his hands under Cedric’s shirt on his back and started drawing soothing circles there. Cedric soon got to Harry’s collarbone and the hem of his shirt.

“Can I take off your shirt?” he asked and Harry nodded.

He gently helped Harry out of his shirt and then took his own off too. It wasn’t the first time Harry saw someone without their shirt off, he played Quidditch after all. But it was different when someone was there just for you. And Cedric was beautiful. _Well, he always is,_ Harry thought to himself. Cedric started kissing down Harry’s chest and then he got back to Harry’s mouth.

“What do you want?” he asked.

“I-I don’t know,” Harry blushed and Cedric smiled kindly.

“Do you want me to just touch you? Or do you want something more?”

“I ... I think just touching is fine,” Harry stammered.

“Okay,” Cedric smiled and kissed him again.

Cedric’s hand travelled to the hem of Harry’s pyjama bottoms. Harry started to slightly shiver in anticipation.

“You’re okay?” Cedric asked quietly.

Harry nodded and Cedric kissed him again. His hand then slowly but softly crept under Harry’s trousers and then he started carefully caressing him. Harry let out a breath he didn’t know he was holding. Cedric’ hand started moving up and down and he was looking fondly into Harry’s eyes.

“You’re beautiful,” Cedric murmured against Harry’s mouth.

And it felt good, it was all alright and Harry was enjoying it. So he wasn’t quite sure why he suddenly felt so overwhelmed by everything. He started breathing quickly and Cedric let go of him.

“Are you okay?” he asked and looked worried.

Harry sat up on the bed and drawn his knees to his chest. He was trying to calm down his breathing. _What’s wrong? Why are you like this? It was good, what are you doing?_ He kept thinking. Cedric put his shirt back on and then tentatively hugged Harry.

“Sweetie, was it too much?” he asked kindly.

Harry couldn’t speak so he just shook his head and felt that he started crying. He was so angry with himself.

“Harry, breathe with me, sweetie, okay,” Cedric said and started the breathing exercise that they haven’t used in quite some time.

“I’m so sorry,” Harry whimpered after a while. “I’m so pathetic.”

“No, no, you don’t have to be sorry, darling. You’re not pathetic,” said Cedric. “It happens, it’s okay.”

“I ... I don’t know what happened,” said Harry between sobs.

“It’s okay,” Cedric murmured and kissed the top of Harry’s head.

“I really liked it ... I did,” Harry managed to say. “And I was worried before that I wouldn’t. But I did. But then ... I don’t know.”

“It’s okay, you have anxiety and that’s fine, these things happen.”

“How do you know that?”

“I started reading more about mental health last year,” Cedric sighed. “Mom has a lot of books here. I borrowed some when I started seeing my healer. And then when we started dating ... I wanted to make sure I understand you well,” he blushed.

“Oh,” Harry breathed. “That’s ... er ... I don’t even understand me.”

“And that’s really okay,” Cedric smiled and brushed the hair out of Harry’s forehead.

“I was often beaten up when I lived with the Dursleys,” Harry said then as if he just remembered it and Cedric looked at him sadly. “I mean ... I was never ... er ... sexually abused or anything. But I was beaten up and starved a lot of times. After I started Hogwarts, it was less so because they were afraid of me a bit, I think.”

“And even though you’re in a relatively good place now, it’s still with you,” Cedric whispered sadly.

“I hate that,” said Harry. “I don’t have that life anymore but it still affects me.”

“It’s okay. You haven’t been away from them that long. You have to be patient.”

“I’m sorry. I did like it. And I want to do it again, I really do,” said Harry.

“Don’t be sorry,” Cedric smiled. “I told you before; I don’t mind waiting however long you want.”

“I’m glad we tried it, though.”

“And that’s what’s important, okay? You know what else is important?”

“What?” smiled Harry.

“That I love you.”

“I love you too,” said Harry.

“So, let’s just eat the wonderful breakfast you made and then let’s get out of this bed.”

They haven’t tried again that week. Even though the talk they had helped Harry a lot and he felt good about it, a tiny bit of him still felt embarrassed. But he decided that it was okay to feel that way. Despite all that, the rest of the week was the happiest part of Harry’s summer. He felt really accepted by Mr and Mrs Diggory, who both had been incredibly nice to him. They even went to visit the Weasleys where they played Quidditch again with everyone. Fred didn’t ask Harry anything following their previous conversation and Harry was glad.

Aside from his own problems, Harry kept wondering why Ron still hasn’t made a move on Hermione since she spent the entire summer with them.

“I don’t know, mate,” said Ron. “It’s a bit awkward, isn’t it, with my whole family here.”

“Well, I just think you waited long enough,” said Harry.

“I don’t even know if she’s interested, she hasn’t really given me any signs,” whined Ron.

“I’m sure she is.”

“I don’t know, we’ll see what happens once we’re in school.”

Before Harry left Cedric’s house, he gave him the pocket mirror he got from Sirius and explained how it worked. Cedric was happy that they could communicate another way besides owls and promised to come to Hogsmeade as soon as their first trip was announced. Cedric hugged Harry tightly and kissed him before Harry disappeared in the fireplace.

He spent the last day of summer with Sirius and Remus at Grimmauld Place. It was decided that Remus was going to accompany Harry to King’s Cross because it was still too dangerous for Sirius even in his Padfoot form. So Harry had to say goodbye to Sirius at the door. Sirius was trying to hide the fact that he was sad by making series of jokes but Harry saw through him. He still laughed along and hugged his godfather tightly before him and Remus left. Remus Apparated with Harry into a hidden corner next to King’s Cross. Harry was still not a fan of Apparating. They met with the Weasleys and Hermione there and hurried quickly to the platform.

“Off you go then,” said Remus when they stood in front of the train. “Write to us, or use your mirror. Be careful.”

“I will,” said Harry and hugged Remus before he climbed inside the train.

Everyone was staring at Harry in the train and it made him feel very uncomfortable. He found a compartment with Neville and Luna since Ron and Hermione were off to their prefect duties and Ginny was with Dean. A girl that introduced herself as Romilda Vane walked into their compartment and tried to flirt with Harry and get him to sit with her and her friends. Harry refused and shut the door behind her. He wished Cedric was there with him.

Ron and Hermione joined them soon and Ron said that Malfoy was not doing his prefect duty and was just sitting in his compartment. Harry found that very strange because Malfoy took every opportunity he could to demonstrate any power he had. Harry didn’t have much time to think about it as a little girl entered their compartment to deliver an invitation for Harry and Neville to join Professor Slughorn in his compartment. On their way there, Harry ran into Cho, who smiled at him kindly.

“Hey, Harry,” she said. “Had a good summer?”

“Yeah, the best, actually,” he smiled. “You?”

“It was okay. I was mostly with my family or with Roger. I went to see Cedric a few times in his shop.”

“It’s brilliant, isn’t it?”

“Oh yes,” said Cho excitedly. “He said you were going to visit him. Did you have a good time?”

“Yeah, I did,” Harry smiled. “I miss him here, though. Especially with all the attention.”

“I understand,” she nodded sympathetically. “Well, don’t be a stranger, okay?”

“Sure,” he said and then they parted ways.

There were other students in Slughorn’s compartment. There was Blaise Zabini, Cormac McLaggen, Marcus Belby and, surprisingly, Ginny. It was clear that everyone who was invited was connected to someone well-known or influential. Ginny was invited because Slughorn saw her hexing Zacharias Smith and was quite impressed by it. The whole session was rather boring and Harry was glad when it was over. When Harry saw Zabini going back to his compartment he had an idea. He slipped on his Invisibility Cloak that he had in his bag with him and quietly followed Blaise. He climbed onto the luggage rack in their compartment. Zabini was in a compartment with Crabbe and Goyle, Pansy Parkinson and, of course, Malfoy. Malfoy had his head in Pansy’s lap and she was stroking his hair. Zabini told them all about Slughorn’s guests.

“Potter, precious Potter, obviously he wanted a look at the _Chosen One_ ,” sneered Malfoy. “But that Weasley girl! What’s so special about _her!_ ”

Harry listened intently to their talk, desperately waiting for something interesting. Malfoy said that Slughorn probably didn’t know that he was on the train too but then Zabini told him that he didn’t invite Nott either because his father was also a Death Eater.

“Well, who cares what he’s interested in? What is he, when you come down to it? Just some stupid teacher.” Malfoy yawned. “I mean, I might not even be at Hogwarts next year, what’s it matter to me if some fat old has-been likes me or not?”

“What do you mean, you might not be at Hogwarts next year?” said Pansy.

“Well, you never know,” said Malfoy with a ghost of a smirk. “I might have – er – moved on to bigger and better things.”

“Do you mean – _Him?_ ” Pansy asked, dumbfounded.

Malfoy shrugged.

“Mother wants me to complete my education, but personally, I don’t see it as that important these days. I mean, think about it ... when the Dark Lord takes over, is he going to care how many O.W.L.s or N.E.W.T.s anyone’s got? Of course he isn’t ... it’ll be all about the kind of service he received, the level of devotion he was shown.”

“And you think _you’ll_ be able to do something for him?” asked Zabini. “Sixteen years old and not even fully qualified yet?”

“I’ve just said, haven’t I? Maybe he doesn’t care if I’m qualified. Maybe the job he wants me to do isn’t something that you need to be qualified for,” said Malfoy quietly.

No one said anything to that and it was already time to change into their robes. They all started leaving but Malfoy stayed behind. He closed the blinds on the doors.

“ _Petrificus Totalus!”_ he shouted and Harry fell on the floor.

Malfoy took the Invisibility Cloak off him and smirked.

“You didn’t hear anything I care about, Potter. But while I’ve got you here ...” he said and stamped hard on Harry’s face.

Harry felt his nose break. Malfoy then threw the Cloak back on him.

“I don’t reckon they’ll find you till the train’s back in London,” he said quietly. “See you around, Potter ... or not.”

And then he left.

Luckily, Harry was found soon by Tonks, who was stationed in Hogsmeade now to make sure everything was alright. She noticed that Harry didn’t leave the train and she suspected he might be wearing his Cloak. She fixed his nose and sent a message to Dumbledore through her Patronus to tell him that Harry was okay. She walked him to the Hogwarts gates where Snape, of all people, was waiting for him. Harry walked with him to the castle and Snape, of course, took off points from Gryffindor for Harry being late and not being in his school robes.

He sat down in the Great Hall with Ron and Hermione who looked alarmed at his lateness and also his face, which was still covered in blood. Hermione helped him clean it off and then they wanted to know what happened but Harry promised to tell them later.

It turned out that Slughorn was there to teach Potions and Snape was going to teach Defence Against the Dark Arts this year, which was not at all what Harry wanted to hear. When Dumbledore mentioned Voldemort in his speech, Harry couldn’t help but look at Malfoy at the Slytherin table. Malfoy looked distant. As if his mind was not really there. It was a bit strange.

Later that evening, Harry told Ron and Hermione all about his little run-in with Malfoy. To his huge annoyance, they still weren’t convinced that Malfoy was up to something or that he was a Death Eater.

“He was probably just showing off in front of Parkinson,” said Hermione.

“Yeah, mate, I wouldn’t give that git too much of my thought if I were you. Doesn’t deserve it,” said Ron.

Harry went to bed frustrated because he simply _knew_ he was right. Why would Malfoy say all these things if he knew Harry was in the compartment with them? It was definitely odd. He wanted to tell Cedric but wasn’t sure if he should. After all, Cedric didn’t believe him the first time either. Sirius and Remus didn’t seem to want to discuss Malfoy that time either. But Sirius seemed to know something about Malfoy’s family. Maybe he should tell them. Yes, Harry decided, he would write to them the next day.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Phew, alright! This was very difficult to write, I have to admit.  
> yay I finally have a name for poor Mrs Diggory :D
> 
> Please let me know if you're interested in me writing more of smut in here. I'm not particularly good at it so it's never going to be too explicit, but let me know. Also I'm sorry if it's a bit awkward in this one, I really thought that Harry wouldn't have it easy the first time, sorry. And I was trying to make it realistic so I hope I did well.  
> I hope you enjoyed!!
> 
> I hope everyone is staying safe ♥
> 
> Thank you for reading ♥


	22. Broken Noses and Broken People

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Back at Hogwarts!  
> (honestly I suck at summaries and chapter names, sorry)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi everyone!
> 
> First of all, I am very sorry that this took so long! I got quite busy. I will try to update more often, this was longer than I wanted to.  
> Second, THANK YOU all so much for the continuous support through comments and kudos it really helps me keep going!   
> Third, I'm not really a fan of this chapter, it feels a bit slow but I needed to get it out in order to continue with the story. Again there is some text taken directly from the book too.
> 
> AND LAST, in this fic, we DO NOT stand anything that JKR stated on her twitter. I'm not even surprised by her at this point. I love Harry Potter deeply but I do recognize the flaws it has, which was one of the reasons I started writing this fanfic too.  
> I hope this fic brings joy to some of you and that maybe you relate a little bit to some of the characters. I hope you're all staying safe and I'm sending all my love!
> 
> cw: small panic attack (also I still need to go back and edit my cws to the previous chapter, sorry didn't have time. I am very bad at these warnings, very sorry)

Harry wrote to Sirius and Remus early the next morning. He explained everything that happened with Malfoy and asked them what they were thinking about it. He assured them he was doing okay and that he arrived back to Hogwarts in one piece. Well, rather with almost nothing broken.

Hermione was back to her prefect self and Ron was enjoying not having that many responsibilities this year. Hermione kept reminding him that he did, in fact, had a lot of responsibilities and they had to study more than ever. Harry was trying really hard not to glance at Malfoy whenever he could but he couldn’t help himself. There was just something off with that boy. Professor McGonagall passed along the timetables that morning and informed Harry that Professor Slughorn was very happy to take students who received EE in O.W.L.s into his Potions class. _So, maybe I can become an Auror after all,_ Harry thought as he agreed to take up Potions as well. McGonagall also told him she already had a list of people signing up for the Gryffindor Quidditch team and she would pass it onto him soon. Harry was quite excited about planning the try-outs and everything.

Defence Against the Dark Arts with Snape was very strange. Harry was sad that his favourite subject was now taught by someone he absolutely loathed but so it was last year. They were practising non-verbal jinxes and Snape was about to jinx Harry in front of the whole class as an example. So, Harry, without thinking, shouted “ _Protego!”_ as soon as Snape drew out his wand.

“Do you remember me telling you we are practising _non-verbal_ spells, Potter?”

“Yes,” said Harry stiffly.

“Yes _sir._ ”

“There’s no need to call me “sir”, Professor,” said Harry before he could stop himself. Ron, Dean and Seamus were trying to hide their grins and several other people gasped.

“Detention, Saturday night, my office,” said Snape. “I do not take cheek from anyone, Potter ... not even the _Chosen One._ ”

Harry couldn’t care less. He was actually rather proud of himself. He was tired of Snape using him as his guinea pig all the time and after Occlumency last year he was just not having any of that anymore. Hermione disapproved, obviously, but Harry didn’t care. After the lesson, he was caught up by one of the Gryffindor Beaters from last year who gave him a message from Dumbledore. It said that he would like to start Harry’s private lesson on Saturday evening, which, to Harry’s delight, meant he couldn’t do Snape’s detention.

They had double Potions that afternoon. Harry noticed already before that Malfoy was not really paying attention to much around him and not talking to any of his friends. He looked especially reserved now. Harry and Ron didn’t have any supplies as they didn’t know they would be taking Potions this year. So Slughorn told them to take supplies from the cupboard and borrow the books from there. Hermione, of course, knew all the answers to the questions Slughorn asked and he was very impressed with her. He was showing them different kinds of potions and when they discussed Amortentia, Harry could sense all the different flowers in Cedric’s room, the smell of tea and books that reminded him of Sirius and Remus, and treacle tart. Then, Slughorn proceeded to explain the effects of Felix Felicis and Harry noticed that Malfoy became suddenly much more interested in the class. The competition for Felix Felicis was announced and they had to brew the Draught of Living Death. Harry started working on his potion and noticed that the old book he received from Slughorn had scribbles all over the instructions. He decided to try out the advice written there by the previous owner instead of the original instructions. To his surprise, it worked a thousand times better. In the end, Harry won the competition and got awarded with Felix Felicis by a very proud Slughorn who was boasting about Harry inheriting his mother’s talents.

“I s’pose you think I cheated?” said Harry when he saw Hermione’s expression as they were walking out of the classroom.

“Well, it wasn’t exactly your own work, was it?” she said stiffly.

“He only followed different instructions to ours,” said Ron. “Could’ve been a catastrophe, couldn’t it? But he took a risk and it paid off.” He heaved a sigh. “Slughorn could’ve handed me that book, but no, I get the one no one’s ever written in. _Puked on_ , by the look of page fifty-two, but – “

“Hang on,” said a voice close by Harry’s left ear. He looked around and saw that Ginny had joined them. “Did I hear right? You’ve been taking orders from something someone wrote in a book, Harry?”

“It’s nothing,” he said reassuringly. “It’s not like, you know, Riddle’s diary. It’s just an old textbook someone’s scribbled in.”

“But you’re doing what it says?”

“I just tried a few of the tips written in the margins, honestly, Ginny, there’s nothing funny – “

“Ginny’s got a point,” said Hermione. “We ought to check that there’s nothing odd about it. I mean, all these funny instructions, who knows?”

Hermione then took the book from Harry and cast a spell to see if there was anything hidden. When nothing happened she gave it back to him but still looked at it suspiciously. When Harry took it back, it slipped from his hand and landed on the floor. He then noticed that on the bottom of the back cover there was written: _This book is the property of the Half-Blood Prince._

Harry didn’t hear from Sirius and Remus until Saturday when he finally got their letter. The first half was clearly written by Remus.

_Dear Harry,_

_First day of school and you manage to get yourself into trouble before you even leave the train. I was afraid that without Cedric you’ll have no inhibitions. But honestly, you need to stop being so reckless. Now more than ever. If you continue with this mischief we might have to step in and take away some of your privileges. We don’t want to do that because you’re a good kid and it wouldn’t be fair to you after everything. But we can’t just let you do as you please and get yourself into trouble. So this is just to tell you that you have to focus on yourself. You have enough worries as it is so don’t put your nose where it doesn’t belong. As for your questions about Draco, I think Sirius can answer you better. And I just want to make myself clear: You should leave him alone._

Harry wasn’t surprised that Remus was a bit upset with him. He expected it. But he felt a bit weird about somebody suddenly acting like a parent to him and he wasn’t sure if he liked it. After all, it was a bit too late for that in Harry’s opinion. Plus, if Malfoy was involved with Voldemort it was Harry’s business too. He started reading the second half of the letter, which was written by Sirius.

_Harry, I can’t tell you much. I haven’t spoken to Narcissa in almost twenty years. But I am in contact with my cousin Andromeda, her sister, who is working for the Order. She hasn’t spoken to Narcissa in some time either. Narcissa used to come to see Andromeda very rarely and only secretly because Lucius wouldn’t approve. But since Bellatrix came back from Azkaban, Andromeda hasn’t heard anything from her. I know Draco is probably a right git but remember that not everything is as it seems. From what Andromeda told me the Malfoy upbringing is very strict. I know what it is like to grow up in a family that pushes their sick ideologies on you and punishes you for not agreeing. I was lucky to have friends I could turn to. If I didn’t, who knows, I might have ended up like my brother. And I’m afraid that Draco is living in a similar world. And he doesn’t have people around him that wouldn’t come from the same twisted ideologies. You need to understand that it must be hard to come out of that even if he wanted to. I don’t know what goes on in his mind, maybe he’s very much like his father. But maybe all these things that he’s done were a way to impress his father or to prove himself worthy of being the Malfoy Heir. Narcissa was never cruel when we were growing up but she would always do as she was told without questioning it. So how much of an impact Lucius Malfoy had on her, I don’t know. But I assume she wouldn’t really get much say in the way Draco would be treated in his childhood or even now. I know that might be hard to understand for you. And honestly, I am not trying to defend the boy. I’m just trying to make you see it from a different perspective. As for your suspicion about him being a Death Eater, I’d like to believe that he is not. I can’t think of anything that he would be useful for Voldemort while he’s still in school. But then again, we can never be sure. If he is a Death Eater, then Harry that would be basically a death sentence for him now. I see too much of Regulus’s foolishness in this scenario so I think you shouldn’t be angry about it. If anything, it’s quite sad because there might be no hope left for the boy. But in this war, you can’t save everyone._

_So, as Remus said, you should really focus on yourself. I’m glad you brought your concerns to us, if you need anything again we’re always here. I know you might be angry about Remus trying to discipline you but he’s only doing it because he loves you and he’s worried about you. As am I. Please write to us soon, or use the mirror if it’s anything urgent._

_Take care!_

_Pads and Moony._

When Harry finished the letter he felt somewhat conflicted. It wasn’t what he expected at all. And now if what Sirius said about Malfoy and his childhood, he definitely didn’t want to leave him alone. Shouldn’t they help him in that case? Why was no one doing anything if it was true? Did anybody know about it? Maybe he should try to voice his worries to Dumbledore in the evening. And he would talk to Cedric about it the next day. Harry hasn’t spoken to Cedric yet as he was aware of how busy the boy must have been in his work. But it was Cedric’s birthday at the end of the week and Harry had a gift prepared to send him. When he was in the Diagon Alley he managed to buy a very pretty notebook that Cedric could use as a herbarium since he was talking about starting one. Then he later ordered some of Cedric’s favourite sweets. And when he was in muggle London with Sirius and Remus he bought him a very nice shirt with flower pattern because Harry not-so-secretly loved the outfits Cedric had to wear to work. So he would send him the gift first thing tomorrow morning with a note and he’d talk to him in the evening through the mirror. He really missed having Cedric around and was excited to talk to him again. They weren’t together every day during the summer either so he was quite used to it by now but he still missed him.

Harry contemplated telling Ron and Hermione about the letter from Sirius and Remus but decided to talk to them after he talked to Dumbledore. They would want to hear what the lesson was about anyway so he would tell them then.

“Good evening, sir,” said Harry as he walked into the Headmaster’s office that evening.

“Ah, good evening, Harry. Sit down,” said Dumbledore, smiling. “I hope you’ve had an enjoyable first week back at school?”

“Yes, thank you, sir,” said Harry.

“You must have been busy, detention under your belt already!”

“Er ...” began Harry awkwardly, but Dumbledore did not look too stern.

“I have arranged with Professor Snape that you will do your detention next Saturday instead.”

“Right,” said Harry.

“So, Harry,” said Dumbledore. “You’ll have been wondering, I am sure, what I have planned for you during these – for want of a better word – lessons?”

“Yes, sir.”

“Well, I have decided that it is time, now that you know what prompted Lord Voldemort to try and kill you fifteen years ago, for you to be given certain information.”

There was a pause.

“You said, at the end of last term, you were going to tell me everything,” said Harry. It was hard to keep a note of accusation from his voice. “Sir,” he added.

“And so I did,” said Dumbledore. “I told you everything I know. From this point forth, we shall be leaving the firm foundation of fact and journeying together through the murky marshes of memory into thickets of wildest guesswork. From here on in, Harry, I may be as woefully wrong as Humphrey Belcher, who believed the time was ripe for a cheese cauldron.”

“But you think you’re right?” said Harry.

“Naturally, I do, but as I have already proven to you, I make mistakes like the next man. In fact, being – forgive me – rather cleverer than most men, my mistakes tend to be correspondingly huger.”

“Sir,” said Harry tentatively, “does what you’re going to tell me to have anything to do with the prophecy? Will it help me ... survive?”

“It has a very great deal to do with the prophecy,” said Dumbledore, “and I certainly hope that it will help you to survive.”

Dumbledore then brought the Pensieve and placed it on the desk in front of Harry. They were going to explore some memories of a certain Bob Ogden, who used to work in the Department of Magical Law Enforcement. He was already dead but Dumbledore managed to get this memory from him before he died. The memory was of Ogden meeting the Gaunt family that claimed to be the last living descendants of Salazar Slytherin. Ogden was there to announce that the son of Mr Gaunt, Mofin, was summoned to a hearing in the Ministry due to him attacking a Muggle. Morfin was speaking Parseltongue and Harry didn’t realise at first. Mr Gaunt was very hostile towards Ogden. There were people outside of the house talking and Mr Gaunt’s daughter, Merope, was trying to look at them through the window. When Mr Gaunt found out Merope was liked the muggle boy, who was outside, he launched himself at her, trying to choke her. Ogden then tried to help her and when he was attacked he ran away. That was when the memory ended as well.

Dumbledore then told Harry that Merope survived because Ogden came back with other Ministry employees. Mr Gaunt – or rather Marvolo – was Voldemort’s grandfather. That meant that Merope was Voldemort’s mother and the muggle boy outside was Tom Riddle Sr. After Mr Gaunt and Morfin were sentenced to Azkaban, Merope was free for the first time in her life. She used a love potion on Tom and shortly they ran away from the village. Tom Riddle returned after some time without Merope, very confused about what happened to him.

“I think that will do for the tonight, Harry,” said Dumbledore after a moment or two.

“Yes, sir,” said Harry. “Am I allowed to tell Ron and Hermione everything you’ve told me?”

“Yes, I think Mr Weasley and Miss Granger have proved themselves trustworthy. And I assume you won’t be keeping this a secret from Mr Diggory either?” he said with a small smile. “But it would not be a good idea if word got around how much I know, or suspect, about Lord Voldemort’s secrets.”

“Of course,” said Harry. “Sir, can I talk to you about something?”

“Certainly, Harry.”

“Er ... it’s about Malfoy. Don’t you think he might be somehow linked with Voldemort? I’ve seen something suspicious about him in Diagon Alley and then I heard him saying something in the train.”

“I see,” smiled Dumbledore knowingly. “I wouldn’t worry too much about Mr Malfoy’s daily activities, Harry. You have too much else on your shoulders.”

“But, sir ... I ... er ... spoke with Sirius and from what he told me about Malfoy’s upbringing ... and if it’s true, shouldn’t we do something?”

“Help will always be given at Hogwarts to those who ask for it,” said Dumbledore.

Harry was quiet for a moment.

“Sir ... what about those who need it but don’t ask for it?” he asked.

“Harry,” said Dumbledore kindly. “I’ll keep an eye on Mr Malfoy but I really don’t think that is something for you to worry about. Now, goodnight,” he smiled.

“Goodnight, sir,” said Harry and left.

On his way to the common room, he was thinking about the whole lesson with Dumbledore. About his new-learnt information about Voldemort’s past and also about Malfoy. He couldn’t help it, the more people told him to mind his own business the more he wanted to find out what’s going on with the boy. He walked to the Gryffindor Tower. Ron and Hermione were waiting for him in the common room and Harry told them everything.

“How do you think all this is going to help?” asked Ron. “I mean, no offence, but it kinda seems like a very slow process. Meanwhile, Voldemort can be doing Merlin knows what.”

“Well, I think it’s very important to know all these things. It might help Harry understand Voldemort’s thinking better and that’s going to be an advantage in the future,” said Hermione.

“I guess,” shrugged Ron.

“Dumbledore said it’s important with the prophecy and all,” said Harry. “I trust him on that.”

They both nodded and it was quiet for a while. Harry then decided to tell them all about Malfoy and what Sirius told him.

“Harry, I cannot believe you,” said Hermione. “Everyone’s been telling you to leave it be and you’re still hung up on that.”

“Yeah, mate, give it a rest,” said Ron.

“But what if what Sirius told me was true? I mean, yeah, Malfoy’s a git but what if there’s a deeper reason behind it?”

“And you think you can solve that?” asked Ron.

“Maybe, I don’t know.”

“Harry,” said Hermione, “even if there’s a deeper reason behind all that, you’re not a social worker. You’re a student and one that Malfoy hates. If it’s true, you can’t help him. He wouldn’t accept your help anyway.”

“But Hermione, I understand what it feels like to grow up in an unloving home,” Harry sighed.

“Yes but you don’t know what it is like to grow up in a pureblood family,” said Hermione.

“Okay, well Sirius does.”

“And Sirius told you to let it be,” reminded Hermione.

“He told me I shouldn’t be angry about it. I should be sad.”

“Harry, I know you want to save everyone but you don’t even know if you’re right,” said Hermione. “Honestly, what’s the plan here?”

“Yeah, mate. Are you just gonna walk up to Malfoy and ask him if his Dad ever beat him up? You’ll end up with more than a broken nose.”

“I don’t know,” Harry sighed. “I just feel like I should do something. What if it’s true and no one ever helped him?”

“I don’t know what else to tell you,” said Hermione. “I don’t think it’s up to us to solve.”

“She’s right, mate,” said Ron. “Don’t get too distracted by all this.”

“Did you tell Cedric?” asked Hermione.

“No,” said Harry. “I haven’t talked to him yet but it’s his birthday tomorrow so we’ll talk hopefully. But I don’t know if I’ll bring it up, don’t want to spoil his birthday really.”

“I’m sure he’d like to know,” said Hermione.

Harry just shrugged and they didn’t discuss it further.

The first thing he did the next morning was to send Cedric his birthday present with a note asking him to be by the mirror at six o’clock in the evening. The rest of the day he spent with Ron and Hermione doing homework. Harry and Ron very falsely thought that their sixth year was going to be more laid back but the amount of work they were given in each of their classes kept them very occupied. After dinner, Harry went to their dormitory, which was empty since everyone was in the common room or still at dinner, and sat on his bed with the mirror prepared.

“Er ... Cedric? Are you there?” he said nervously.

Soon enough Cedric’s face appeared in the mirror.

“Yes, Harry? Hi,” he smiled and Harry’s heart skipped a beat.

“Happy birthday,” said Harry fondly.

“Thank you. And thanks for the present, it’s so lovely.”

“I’m glad you like it. So how was your day?” Harry asked.

“It was good,” Cedric replied and Harry eyed him.

His hair was a bit dishevelled, he had dark circles under his eyes and his voice sounded a bit hoarse.

“Are you okay?” Harry asked.

“Yeah,” Cedric nodded. “The twins took me out last night. To celebrate.”

“Oh my God,” chuckled Harry. “That must have been quite something.”

“It was ... yeah. Lee Jordan was there too, and Ryan as well. So all these chaotic people together trying to make me drunk,” laughed Cedric. “They succeeded quite quickly. Fred then led us to this club and then another one. He wanted to drag us to a third one but even George said that two were enough. We all stayed in their flat because we were too drunk to Apparate home. I got home just a few hours ago and your gift was already here. Cho sent me something too so I’ll have to write to her later. My parents weren’t too happy with me but it’s not something I’d like to repeat any time soon.”

“Well, it’s your birthday. You deserve to have fun. You work all the time.”

“Yeah,” smiled Cedric. “I guess they were just worried. It’s not a good time to have your senses compromised.”

“That’s true,” nodded Harry. “Well, I’m glad nothing happened and that you had fun. How is everything else?”

“Good,” Cedric said with a smile. “Work is good but very busy, I still have so much to learn. But I’m enjoying it a lot.”

“That’s great,” smiled Harry and went quiet for a bit. “I miss you,” he said.

“I miss you too,” said Cedric. “Do you know when’s your next Hogsmeade visit?”

“No, not yet.”

“Well, when you do, let me know and I can take the day off and meet you there.”

“That would be nice,” smiled Harry. “I’ll let you know.”

“Great!” beamed Cedric but then he frowned. “There is something you should know.”

“What is it?” asked Harry, nervous. “Did you cheat on me with Fred or something?” he chuckled.

“Sure, I score the Chosen One and I decide to cheat on him,” snorted Cedric.

“Okay, what is it then?”

“There was a reporter from the _Daily Prophet_ in the shop the other day,” he said.

“What happened?”

“Well, I didn’t know he was from the _Prophet_ at first. He was just lurking around the shop. So I went to ask him if needs any help. And he just asked about some of the plants and then he said he recognised me from the Triwizard Tournament. That’s when I started to get a bit suspicious. He asked me about the Tournament and I just said I don’t really want to talk about it. That’s when he asked me about you. First, it was about how it felt to compete against you. So I just said that it was an honour to be in the Tournament with such skilled wizards like Krum, Fleur and yourself. And then he asked about our friendship and that it seemed we’ve gotten rather close since then. And that he knows I’ve been at the Ministry with you before summer. So I asked who he was. And he said he was from the _Prophet_ and was trying to get to know you better to write an article about the real you. And that it was hard to get hold of you these days. So I said I have to get back to work and I can’t help him with anything that’s not related to plants.”

“Oh,” said Harry. “I’m sorry.”

“It’s not your fault,” smiled Cedric. “The twins said that he visited them too. But they just convinced him to eat one of their sweets that make you ill. They told him it was their new “get to know Harry Potter” product.”

“Oh my God,” laughed Harry.

“Yeah, I don’t think he’ll be coming back there,” chuckled Cedric.

“Well, Dumbledore doesn’t allow any reporters here so I think I’m safe from that.”

“Yeah. That’s good.”

“But listen. Since there were so many articles about me this summer and there’s probably going to be more, I hope you’re being careful. I think we’re lucky there wasn’t anything about us so far because we haven’t been really hiding. But if someone bothers you again ... maybe it’s for the best that you just say we’re friends and nothing more.”

“Oh ... okay,” said Cedric a bit uneasily.

“It’s just that they might bother you even more afterwards and you might be in more danger,” said Harry.

“Harry I already said that I’m well aware of what we’re getting into here.”

“I know. I just ... I don’t know. It’ll make me worry less about you, I guess.”

“Okay,” smiled Cedric. “I don’t think they will come looking for me again, though.”

“I hope so,” said Harry.

“So how was your first week?” asked Cedric.

Harry told Cedric about his classes and then about his private lesson with Dumbledore. Cedric also thought that knowing Voldemort’s past was going to be helpful for Harry and said it was good that Dumbledore was teaching him. He laughed when Harry told him that he already had detention with Snape. Harry decided to also tell him about Malfoy and everything that happened so far.

“Harry,” Cedric sighed. “I hope you don’t have some very stupid plan to confront him.”

“I don’t have a plan,” said Harry. “I just think if what Sirius said is true then somebody should help him. No matter how terrible he is. No one deserves that.”

“I know,” said Cedric. “But don’t you think you’re getting a bit obsessed with this? Even if it’s true, what can you do?”

“I don’t know. I just don’t want to stand idly and do nothing.”

“I know. But Harry, you don’t have enough information on this. And even if you did, it’s not in your powers to do much, to be honest. If it’s all true then I’d say yes, let’s do something but I wouldn’t know what.”

“Yeah,” nodded Harry. “I guess you’re right.”

“Just don’t get it into your head too much. If you do find out something more, let me know. But don’t make it your main goal to find something more. You have more important things to do.”

“Okay,” Harry agreed.

They talked a bit more afterwards but once the dormitory was filling up with the other boys it was time to say goodbye.

“Okay, so I’ll speak to you soon,” said Cedric.

“Yeah, goodnight,” smiled Harry.

He hid the mirror in his trunk and got ready for bed. Ron was already in the dormitory and eyed his suspiciously.

“Everything alright, mate?”

“Yeah,” shrugged Harry. “I just miss him, that’s all.”

“Yeah, I get it. But it’s what it is.”

“Yeah,” Harry smiled. “Your brothers got him all drunk last night.”

“Is that some sort of a scheme Fred is planning? To give your boyfriend alcohol poisoning?” Ron chuckled.

“I hope not,” snorted Harry. “Hey, Ron,” he said after a while, “you know, if you want more time alone with Hermione, just let me know. I can go hang out with Ginny, or Luna, or Neville.”

“Oh,” said Ron and went completely red. “I don’t think that’s happening so don’t worry about it, mate.”

“What do you mean? How is it not happening?”

“Well, we had plenty of time alone during the summer,” said Ron. “Well ... not really. She was always with Ginny. Or there was always someone else,” he trailed on. “But wouldn’t something happen by now if it was meant to happen?”

“If neither of you initiated anything then I guess there wouldn’t,” shrugged Harry.

“But she knows I like her,” said Ron. “I asked her out on Valentine’s Day, didn’t I? So she should send me at least a sign or something. It just seems she’s not interested. And I don’t want to make it uncomfortable for anyone.”

“I understand. But I think Hermione is probably waiting for you to make a move.”

“I don’t know, mate. Maybe it’s better if we stay friends.”

“You guys are worse than me last year,” Harry sighed and rolled his eyes.

“Hey, that’s different!” said Ron.

“If you think so,” smiled Harry. “But I think you guys should work it out. You’re good for each other.”

Ron just shrugged and didn’t say anything else.

They were all very busy with their classes; everything seemed to be getting more and more difficult. Harry’s best subject had suddenly become Potions, thanks to the Half-Blood Prince. And because they had so much work to do they were not able to visit Hagrid yet, which they all felt very bad about since none of them took his class this year. The Quidditch tryouts were on Saturday morning so they agreed to visit Hagrid afterwards.

“The trials might take all morning, though,” said Harry, “the number of people who have applied. I dunno why the team’s this popular all of a sudden.”

“Oh, come on, Harry,” said Hermione. “It’s not _Quidditch_ that’s popular, it’s you! You’ve never been more interesting and, frankly, you’ve never been more fanciable.”

Ron almost choked on his food and Hermione gave him a stern look.

“Everyone knows you’ve been telling the truth now, don’t they? The whole wizarding world has had to admit that you were right about Voldemort being back and that you really have fought him twice in the last two years and escaped both times. And now they’re calling you the ‘Chosen One’ – well, come on, can’t you see why people are fascinated by you?”

Harry felt very hot all over the sudden and it was hard to breathe. Hermione continued talking but Harry couldn’t focus on it too well.

“.... you can still see the marks where that evil woman made you write with your own blood, but you stuck to your story anyway ...”

Harry looked at his hand that still had ‘I must not tell lies’ carved into it. He doubted that would ever go away. Hermione and Ron kept talking but at this point, their voices were just humming in Harry’s ears. He stared at his plate, suddenly not feeling like eating at all.

“Harry, you’re okay?” asked Hermione and he was brought back to the present by her hand tentatively touching his own.

“Er ... yeah ... I just ... I need to go to the bathroom,” he said and got up abruptly. “I’ll meet you at the Quidditch pitch.”

“Are you sure?” asked Hermione but Harry already jolted out of the Great Hall.

There were too many people all of a sudden. He felt trapped in there. And he felt as if everyone was watching him. Which they probably were based on what Hermione said. He needed to calm down and breathe. Just as he ran into the bathroom he almost knocked over someone who was coming out of it.

“Get your eyes fixed, Potter! You might see where you’re going for once!” snarled Malfoy.

Harry was too out of breath to say anything. He tried to look normal because he really didn’t want Malfoy to see him like this. So he just hurried past him without saying a word.

“Learn some manners, Potter! I don’t know if those muggles you live with ever taught you but it is normal to apologize when you almost knock someone out! Or should I feel blessed because you’re the Chosen One?” spat Malfoy.

Harry finally looked up, ready to say something but all his words were lost. Malfoy’s eyes were very red as if he was crying. He noticed the dark circles under his eyes as well. _Did he always look this ill? Am I just noticing it now because of what Sirius said?_

“Staring is not polite, Potter!” said Malfoy and smirked. “Just fuck off then,” with that he was gone and Harry was left there staring at the empty spot.

After a minute or two, Harry walked over to the wash-basin and splashed some water on his face. He looked at himself in the mirror and tried to even out his breathing slowly.

“Chosen One,” he scoffed at himself. “I’m just pathetic.”

He sighed and when he calmed down enough he decided to go. He met Ron and Hermione in front of the Great Hall.

“Why aren’t you at the Quidditch pitch, guys?” he asked and tried to sound normal.

“We wanted to wait for you,” said Hermione. “Are you okay?”

“Yeah ... just,” he sighed. “I’m fine now,” he assured them.

“There was some post for you, mate,” said Ron and handed Harry a letter and a small package.

“Thanks,” said Harry.

It was a letter from Cedric that Harry decided to read later and a copy of his Potions book that he ordered. He had a plan to give the new one back to Slughorn and keep the copy with Prince’s notes in it.

On their way to the Quidditch pitch, Hermione informed him on what she read in the _Daily Prophet_. There have been some Dementor attacks and an arrest. They arrested Stan Shunpike, the conductor of the Knight Bus, for being a Death Eater. That was something Harry wouldn’t expect. But from the article it seemed that Stan was only trying to impress someone in the pub, claiming he had some inside information, and the Ministry arrested him to make it seem like they were doing something.

At least half of the Gryffindor House seemed to turn up for the trials so it really did take longer than Harry anticipated. A lot of the people that signed up for the tryouts seemed to only do it so they could take a good look on Harry and that made him extremely uncomfortable. There were even people from other houses that Harry had to shoo away. Ginny proved herself to be an excellent Chaser and made it on the team to Harry’s delight. Ron looked very nervous and Harry hoped he was going to make it on the team. Most of the other people who signed up as Keepers were terrible, so it was between Ron and Cormac McLaggen, who had a terrible attitude. But in the end, Ron saved one goal more than him so he won and Harry couldn’t be happier. Afterwards, they set off to go see Hagrid.

“I thought I was going to miss that fourth penalty,” said Ron happily as they walked. “Tricky shot from Demelza, did you see, had a bit of spin on –“

“Yes, yes, you were magnificent,” said Hermione, looking amused.

“I was better than that McLaggen anyway,” said Ron. “Did you see him lumbering off in the wrong direction on his fifth? Looked like he’d been Confunded ... “

Hermione turned a deep shade of pink when Ron said that and only Harry noticed that. Hagrid was quite angry with them because none of them told him they weren’t taking his class this year and they haven’t even visited him. He was also sad because it seemed that Aragog was very ill and was not going to live much longer. They managed to talk everything out so at the end it felt like good old times. Once they were going to dinner, Harry stopped Hermione before they entered the Great Hall.

“If you ask me,” said Harry quietly. “McLaggen looks like he _was_ Confunded. Ande he was standing right in front of where you were sitting.”

“Oh,” Hermione blushed. “All right, I did it,” she whispered. “But you should have heard the way he was talking about Ron and Ginny! Anyway, he’s got a nasty temper, you saw how he reacted when he didn’t get in – you wouldn’t have wanted someone like that on the team.”

“No,” said Harry. “But wasn’t that dishonest, Hermione? I mean, you’re a prefect, aren’t you?”

“Oh, be quiet,” she snapped as he smirked.

Once they were in the Great Hall, Slughorn came over to talk to them. He invited Harry and Hermione, completely ignoring Ron, to a private supper party in his office later that evening. Harry already had detention with Snape so he apologized that he couldn’t go and Slughorn said he was going to talk to Snape. Harry doubted that would work since his detention was already postponed in the first place.

After dinner, they all walked back to the Gryffindor Tower. They sat down in the common room and Hermione started reading the _Daily Prophet_ again. There was an article mentioning Mr Weasley doing a search of the Malfoy house for Dark Objects but they didn’t find anything.

“I told him about Malfoy and that thing he was trying to get Borgin to fix,” said Harry. “Well, if it’s not at their house, he must have brought whatever it is to Hogwarts with him –“

“But how? We were all searched when we arrived,” said Hermione.

“Oh,” said Harry. “Then maybe someone sent it to him.”

“All the owls are being checked too. Filch told us,” said Hermione.

“I ran into him today,” said Harry finally. “In the bathroom.”

“And?” asked Hermione.

“He told me to learn some manners and fuck off.”

“He should learn some manners himself then,” said Hermione.

“He looked like he was crying.”

“Oh, drop it, Harry,” said Ron, who seemed quite annoyed since dinner.

“Listen, it’s not my fault Slughorn invited Hermione and me to his stupid party, neither of us wanted to go, you know!” said Harry.

“Well, as I’m not invited to any parties,” said Ron, getting to his feet, “I think I’ll go to bed.”

With that Ron left and Harry and Hermione only stared after him. One of the students came over to Harry to let him know that his detention with Snape was at half-past eight that evening and that Snape is not going to let him go to any parties he’s been invited to. Harry then set off to his detention.

When he came back to the dormitory it was almost midnight so Harry went straight to bed. When he woke up the next day he remembered the letter he got from Cedric the day before. He completely forgot about it as the day was rather busy. So while he waited for Ron to wake up, he read it.

_Dearest Harry,_

_I told myself that I need to keep in touch with you more, no matter how much work I have. Because honestly, I miss you so much, it’s unreal. And we need to make this work somehow. I know you probably have a lot of homework, sixth year is tough. I hope you’re taking care of yourself. As for me, I am quite busy with the shop but I think I’m getting the hang of it. Mrs O’Brien told me she wouldn’t be afraid to leave me alone there for a while now so I guess I’m doing well._

_As you probably know, there have been some Dementor attacks but nothing too huge. But people are afraid. There are fewer people in Diagon Alley and I can’t help but think that it’s getting much grimmer. I don’t want to worry you, nothing happened around here. I guess I just can’t help but think about it since almost every day someone comes in and mentions how much they’re afraid. Which makes me think more about you. I know you’re safer at Hogwarts than anywhere but I still worry. I guess that’s because I love you._

_Anyway, I guess I just miss you a lot so that’s why I’m rambling on like this. The twins send their best wishes, by the way. We see each other almost every other day for lunch, which is nice. We weren’t this close in Hogwarts but I really appreciate having someone here now. The only other friend I have, who’s not still at Hogwarts, is Ryan and he’s very busy with his Ministry internship. Oh, my parents send their love to you too (especially my mom, obviously)._

_Let me know anything new and how you’re feeling! Maybe we can use the mirror again on Sunday evening?_

_Love,_

_Cedric._

Harry finished the letter feeling a bit sad. Of course, he missed Cedric dearly but he didn’t realise how much the other boy missed him. And he especially didn’t realise how much that thought would make him sad. He scribbled a note that he would send Cedric after breakfast to tell him that he can speak to him tonight.

“Morning,” mumbled Ron as he slowly got up from the bed.

“Hey,” smiled Harry. “Listen, Ron, I wanted to talk to you last night but I got here late.”

“Yeah?”

“I just wanted to apologise. Look, I know you sometimes feel left out and I’m sorry about that. Honestly, I couldn’t care less about Slughorn and his parties. Only Dumbledore obviously wants me to get close to Slughorn for some reason. I don’t enjoy that little collection of students that he’s doing, trust me.”

“I know,” Ron sighed. “And I’m sorry too. It’s just you and Hermione ... you both have something, you know. You’re the Chosen One or whatever ... and Hermione is the smartest witch here and probably in the whole wizarding world. And I’m just ... average. Probably bellow average even.”

“But that’s not true!” Harry exclaimed but then turned his voice down so he wouldn’t wake the other boys. “You’re the first friend I ever made. You were incredibly kind to me even though I didn’t know two things about this world and you didn’t care I was me. You treated me like anybody else. You’re always funny. And you’re so loyal I think it’s annoying to Hermione,” he chuckled. “And you’re smart too. Grades are not everything. When we were at the Ministry, you kept your head cool and acted very quickly. And that’s what’s important out there.”

“Thanks,” Ron blushed. “I guess I just sometimes feel overshadowed. I need to stop worrying so much about my ego.”

“No, I get it. It’s enough that it’s us but it’s hard for you at home too. I understand,” said Harry. “Just remember you’re the one thing I will solely miss,” he snorted and Ron chuckled.

“Right,” said Ron. “Let’s go to breakfast, I’m starving.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you so much for reading, I hope you enjoyed this ♥
> 
> I just want to state here that this is not going to be a Drarry fic (although I love the ship). But I have plans for Draco that you're just going to wait for :)


	23. Trying to Reach Out

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Harry gets to go to Hogsmeade and then something disturbing happens.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi all! Thank you so much for all the support you give me through kudos and comments, I really appreciate it! ♥  
> I'm so sorry to post late again but I was quite stuck and also kind of busy. I'm not very happy with how this chapter went but I need to get it out so things can get moving again!  
> I hope you enjoy! :)
> 
> CW: suicide attempt, overdose

They spent that Sunday mostly with homework again. Harry almost wished they studied for the O.W.L.s again because that seemed easier. At least now he didn’t have an evil voice in his head. To tell the truth, there was almost nothing in his head.

“I’m sure there’s at least something in your head,” Cedric laughed as Harry told him that evening through the mirror.

“Yeah, you’re right,” said Harry. “There’s you.”

“Aw, look at you being so soft,” Cedric blushed. “But come on, I’m sure you’re doing fine.”

“It’s alright. Thank Godric for Hermione, otherwise, I’d be doomed.”

“Right. As I recall, you and Ron would die probably in first year already if it wasn’t for Hermione.”

“Probably,” chuckled Harry. “Those notes in the old Potions book are really saving my life too.”

“I mean it’s good that it’s working out,” said Cedric, “but I really do think you shouldn’t rely too much on it. You don’t know who wrote it. Not everything in it could be well-meant.”

“You sound like Hermione.”

“Well, I do think she has a point.”

“Look, if it’s going to pull a Seamus on me and it’ll blow up in my face that’s all on me, I accept that. But so far it’s been helpful so I don’t see why I can’t keep using it.”

“Okay, just be careful,” Cedric smiled.

“Yeah, yeah,” said Harry dismissively. “How are things with you?”

“It’s good,” said Cedric. “Fewer people are coming to Diagon Alley now because everyone is afraid. But the plants are keeping me busy anyway.”

“Were there any more attacks? There was nothing in the _Prophet_ so far.”

“No, nothing. People are just afraid, that’s all. Mom’s really busy in St.Mungo’s and Dad’s really busy in the Ministry too. So with my work and theirs, it’s sometimes kind of hard to figure out who is going to take care of all the animals at home.”

“Oh, I see, you must have no spare time left,” said Harry.

“It’s okay, we managed to create a schedule. But we rarely sit down for a meal together now.”

“I’m sorry about that. I know how close you are. Maybe you should get some help for the animals.”

“Mom and Dad don’t really believe in owning house-elves. And it’s risky to hire someone now anyway,” said Cedric.

“Oh yeah. Did you tell your parents about Hermione’s S.P.E.W.?”

“I did and they think it’s got potential. It’s just hard to change something so many people don’t see an issue with. But Dad reckons once things change for the better at the Ministry there might be a chance to bring it to his department.”

“That would be great!” beamed Harry. “I’ll tell Hermione you said that she’ll be happy.”

“Yeah but don’t get her hopes up. You know how hard it is to make people see things from a different perspective,” Cedric smiled sadly. “But I think after the war is over, everything is going to change for the better.”

“Hm,” Harry nodded.

“Are you okay?”

“Yeah ... I just don’t like to think about the war I guess.”

“Oh, yeah. I understand. But I like to be optimistic,” said Cedric.

“I know you do,” Harry smiled.

“Did you talk to Sirius and Remus recently?”

“Not really. I should, I’ve just been swamped with schoolwork.”

“Well, maybe check on Sirius a bit. Mom told me that Remus is constantly on missions. They turned Grimmauld Place into a safe house of some sort. Mom’s been there several times to heal some people.”

“Oh,” said Harry, suddenly feeling very bad about not contacting them more. “But that means it’s busy, right? He’s not alone.”

“Yeah, I guess,” shrugged Cedric.

“Well, I’ll talk to him.”

“Sure,” Cedric smiled. “I gotta go, Harry, sweetie, sorry.”

“Yeah, no worries,” Harry said with a smile. “I’ll talk to you soon.”

As soon as Cedric disappeared from the mirror, Harry tried to call Sirius but nothing happened. So he decided to write him a letter the next day. Sirius wrote him back in the next few days, assuring Harry that he was doing alright. He was just busy because Grimmauld Place really did turn into a safe house and Sirius was in charge of it. He was glad to be finally helpful to the Order. Remus was gone most of the times but he always came back in one piece. So, although Sirius was incredibly worried about Remus, at least he was able to distract himself by helping out others.

Harry, Ron and Hermione were all incredibly busy with schoolwork in the following weeks. Harry managed to talk to Cedric here and there but there was not much else he had time for. He didn’t have any more lessons with Dumbledore yet and the Headmaster was constantly gone. They rarely saw him nowadays. Harry also tried not to pay too much attention to Malfoy and with the amount of work they had that was going pretty well. Malfoy rarely came to meals now anyway, which Harry thought was suspicious but knew better than to speak out on this to his friends now.

Halfway through October came their first trip to Hogsmeade as well. Harry told Cedric about it and he took a day off work to meet with them in the village. Harry couldn’t be more excited.

The weather on the day of the Hogsmeade trip was very cold. They walked to Hog’s Head where they were supposed to meet with Cedric. They decided to meet there rather than Three Broomsticks as that was always busy and they didn’t want any unnecessary attention. Cedric also said in his last letter that Fred and George would be coming with him and that he also invited Cho. Harry didn’t mind, he wanted to see the twins and he didn’t have a chance to talk to Cho much in Hogwarts.

Harry, Ron and Hermione were joined by Cho on the walk to Hogsmeade. Like them, she was also busy with schoolwork so she didn’t blame Harry for not talking to her much. They walked in the Hog’s Head and Cedric and the twins were already waiting for them by a table in the corner. Cedric got up and walked to Harry to give him a tight hug.

“Hey,” he said into Harry’s hair.

“Hey,” smiled Harry as he let go.

They all got butterbeers and sat down by the table. Harry squeezed himself as close to Cedric as he could.

“Hey, Harry,” winked Fred.

“Good to see you, Harry,” said George.

“And what about me?” said Ron. “You’re not happy to see me? Your own brother?”

“Not particularly,” shrugged George.

“Although, Mom told us to remind you to wear warmer underwear now because it’s getting cold,” said Fred.

Ron was red even behind his ears and Harry wasn’t sure if it was from embarrassment or anger. Hermione snorted and tried to hide it into a cough when Ron gave her a hurt look.

“Angelina says hello, by the way,” said George.

“Angelina Johnson?” asked Harry.

“Yeah, she would’ve come but she’s part of this internship with the Harpies. They’re training a bunch of aspiring players and some of them could make it on the team in the future. So she’s working hard almost every day.”

“But it doesn’t stop her from going on little dates with George or stop in the shop from time to time just to say hi,” smirked Fred.

“You guys are dating?” asked Harry.

“They’re not dates. We’re just friends,” said George but he blushed, which Harry almost never saw him do.

“But didn’t she go with Fred to the Yule Ball?” wondered Harry.

“I only asked her,” said Fred. “I told her I was George. He doesn’t look it but he’s quite shy,” he nudged his twin. “So I gave them a little push. I ended up snogging Kenneth Towler in the bushes outside.”

“Didn’t you put Bulbadox powder in his pyjamas last year?” asked Ron. “And his skin broke out in boils afterwards?”

“Yeah,” smirked Fred. “He deserved it. I was with Slytherins who were much nicer than him.”

“What did he do?” asked Harry.

“What Slytherins?” asked Ron at the same time.

“Where’s Ginny anyway?” said Fred nervously to change the topic. “Didn’t you tell her to come too?”

“She’s with Dean,” grunted Ron.

“Oh, are you thinking what I’m thinking, George?” said Fred.

“Fred, I think I’m thinking the same thing,” grinned George.

“What are you thinking?” asked Ron.

“We’re thinking we should make our little sister’s date truly unforgettable,” said George.

“Can I join?” asked Ron.

“Don’t you dare, Ronald!” said Hermione. “Dean is your friend and Ginny is your sister! You should be happy for them. There are worse people she could be dating.”

“Yeah, like Malfoy,” smirked Ron. “I don’t think I’d survive that one.”

“Anyway, Ginny’s going to kill you if you try anything,” said Hermione.

“She is quite scary,” admitted Ron.

“Why do I have the feeling I’m at the Weasley family intervention?” asked Cho.

“Because that’s exactly what’s happening,” Cedric chuckled.

“Well, I suppose you’re used to it by now,” Cho smiled. “You’re practically married to them.”

“W-what?” Cedric stuttered as Harry choked on his butterbeer.

“Oh, please, like Harry isn’t technically a Weasley,” she said.

“Well, Cho, believe me, I tried to make Harry a Weasley but he just won’t take me,” grinned Fred and sent Harry a wink.

“I was just saying that you always wanted a big family so it’s nice you’re part of one now,” Cho said kindly.

“Well ... I ... I don’t ... er,” stuttered Cedric.

“It’s true, Harry’s part of our family,” said Ron. “So now you’re too.”

Ron and the twins then started discussing all the ways they could stalk Ginny on her date and make fun of Dean. Cho and Hermione talked about the exams and the subjects they both had. Harry looked up at Cedric who was still blushing and completely speechless.

“Relax,” said Harry. “They didn’t marry us.”

“It kind of felt like they did,” chuckled Cedric nervously. “Not that ... er, not that ... it’s a bad thing.”

“Breathe,” laughed Harry. “It’s fine. Just forget about it.”

“Sorry, yeah,” Cedric sighed. “So when’s your next session with Dumbledore?”

“Monday evening,” said Harry.

“And have you studied more about becoming an Animagus?”

“Not really,” shrugged Harry. “I’ve read a bit about it and it’s going to be difficult. I need to sit down with Ron and Hermione and discuss it. The first step itself is very time-consuming. I need to have a Mandrake leaf in my mouth for an entire month. And it has to be from full moon to full moon.”

“I see, well if you decide to do it, keep me up to date. And be careful.”

“Of course,” smiled Harry and gave Cedric a chaste kiss.

They all chatted in the Hog’s Head for another hour. Cho left them soon to meet up with her boyfriend, Roger Davies, and the rest of them decided to visit some shops. To Harry’s dismay, they ran into Professor Slughorn in Honeydukes.

“Harry, m’boy!” he greeted him in a booming voice. “And you must be young Mr Diggory. Of course, I heard all about you after the Triwizard Tournament. Such a shame that I got to teach when you already graduated,” he said and pointedly ignored everyone else.

“Oh ... er ... yeah, I really miss Hogwarts too,” said Cedric nervously.

“And Harry, that’s three of my little suppers you’ve missed now!” said Slughorn. “It won’t do, m’boy, I’m determined to have you! Miss Granger loves them, don’t you?”

“Yes,” said Hermione helplessly, “they’re really –“

“So why don’t you come along, Harry?” demanded Slughorn.

“Well, I’ve had Quidditch practice, Professor,” said Harry.

“Well, I certainly expect you to win your first match after all this hard work!” said Slughorn. “But a little recreation never hurt anybody. Now, how about Monday night, you can’t possibly want to practise in this weather ...”

“I can’t, Professor, I’ve got – er – an appointment with Professor Dumbledore that evening.”

“Unlucky again!” cried Slughorn dramatically. “Ah, well ... you can’t evade me forever, Harry!”

And with a regal wave, he waddled out of the shop.

“I can’t believe you’ve wriggled out of another one,” said Hermione, shaking her head. “They’re not _that_ bad, you know ... they’re even quite fun sometimes ...”

“What’s the deal with this then?” asked Cedric, who was very confused.

“It’s their little private club,” said Ron sourly.

“Oh, look, Ron, let’s get some sweets, you’re not missing out, believe me,” said Hermione and dragged Ron to the Sugar Quills.

“Slughorn is just sort of collecting interesting students, I guess. He’s organizing these little events and I’ve managed to skip all of them so far,” said Harry.

“Ah, never thought the Chosen One would be such a rebel and flake his way out of dinners with his Potions Professor,” chuckled Cedric.

“Stop, this way it just sounds creepy,” laughed Harry.

“It’s a little bit creepy, you’ve got to admit, Harry,” said George.

“Yeah, why do old wizards get obsessed with you?” said Fred.

“That’s not true!” exclaimed Harry.

“Well, you’ve got the classy No-Nose Voldy,” started George.

“Then this old perv,” continued Fred.

“Dumbledore is basically your number one fan,” said George.

“Lockhart was weird to you too if I recall correctly, and I do, because who can forget that guy,” said Fred dreamily.

“Oh, please, he was an idiot,” said Harry.

“Yeah, but he was quite fit,” shrugged Fred.

“Bagman was obsessed with him too,” George pointed out.

“Only because he placed a bet on me!” Harry defended himself. “And Dumbledore is just looking out for me. He’s trying to be friendly!”

“No, Hagrid is being friendly,” said George.

“Yeah, that’s why we hold nothing against him,” agreed Fred. “Or Lupin for that matter.”

“Because he’s basically your dad,” nodded George.

“I think that’s enough guys,” said Cedric. “Why won’t we get back to the shopping?”

They went around shops for the next hour and Harry was trying not to dwell too much on what Fred and George said. It was getting way too cold so Harry, Ron and Hermione decided it was best to go back to school already.

“Alright,” smiled Cedric. “I’ll see you on your next Hogsmeade trip hopefully.”

“Yeah,” nodded Harry and looked around them. “Come here,” he said and took Cedric’s hand and led him into a narrow space between the buildings where they wouldn’t be seen.

“Cosy,” chuckled Cedric.

“Sorry, I’m just a bit paranoid, I guess. But I wanted to say goodbye properly,” said Harry sheepishly.

“Don’t worry about it, I understand.”

“Well ... thank you for coming to see me,” Harry blushed.

Cedric hugged him tightly and Harry could feel being almost lifted off the ground. And although the weather was incredibly cold, Harry suddenly felt so warm. After a moment, Cedric let go of him and kissed him. It was a sweet kiss and they only let go when they were both out of breath.

“I love you,” smiled Cedric and kissed Harry’s forehead.

“I love you too,” Harry murmured with a smile. “And I’ll miss you.”

“You’ll be busy with school and you’ll see me before you know it.”

“I can’t wait for Christmas,” smiled Harry.

“Me neither,” said Cedric.

They returned to the others and Harry hugged both of the twins goodbye. They watched the three of them disapparate and then they started walking up the school. Soon as they walked they heard voices that were carried back to them by the wind. It was Katie Bell and her friend having an argument. Harry squinted his eyes to see and noticed Katie holding something in her hand.

“It’s nothing to do with you, Leanne!” Harry heard Katie say.

Leanne made to grab a hold of the package Katie was holding; Katie tugged it back and the package fell to the ground. Then, Katie rose into the air, her arms outstretched, as though she were about to fly. Her hair was whipped around her by the wind and her eyes were closed and her face was empty of expression. Then Katie let out a terrible scream and her eyes flew open. She kept screaming and Leanne tried to grab her ankles to push her down. Harry, Ron and Hermione rushed over to help and as they tried to push Katie down, she suddenly fell on top of them. She didn’t stop screaming and shaking. Harry ordered all of them to stay with Katie while he sprinted to school to get help. He was back soon with Hagrid. Hagrid regarded Katie for a second and then scooped her in his arms and ran off towards the castle. Her screams were slowly fading away in the distance.

“It’s Leanne, isn’t it?” Hermione asked the girl and put an arm around her.

The girl nodded.

“Did it just happen all of a sudden, or -?”

“It was when that package tore,” sobbed Leanne, pointing at the brown-paper package on the ground, which had split open to reveal a greenish glitter. Ron bent down, his hand outstretched, but Harry seized his arm and pulled him back.

“ _Don’t touch it!”_

He crouched down. An ornate opal necklace was visible, poking out of the paper.

“I’ve seen that before,” said Harry, staring at the thing. “It was on display in Borgin and Burkes ages ago. The label said it was cursed. Katie must have touched it.” He looked up at Leanne, who had started to shake uncontrollably. “How did Katie get hold of this?”

“Well, that’s why we were arguing. She came back from the bathroom in the Three Broomsticks holding it, said it was a surprise for somebody at Hogwarts and she had to deliver it. She looked all funny when she said it ... oh no, oh no, I bet she’s been Imperiused, and I didn’t realise!”

Leanne shook with renewed sobs. Hermione patted her shoulder gently.

“She didn’t say who’d given it to her, Leanne?”

“No ... she wouldn’t tell me ... and I said she was being stupid and not to take it up to school, but she wouldn’t listen and ... and then I tried to grab it from her ... and – and –“ Leanne let out a wail of despair.

“We’d better get up to school,” said Hermione; her arm still around Leanne, “we’ll be able to find out how she is. Come on ...”

Harry covered the necklace in his scarf so he could carefully pick it up and take it with them. As they continued walking, Harry couldn’t stop thinking.

“Malfoy knows about this necklace,” he said as they walked. “It was in a case at Borgin and Burkes four years ago, I saw him having a good look at it while I was hiding from him and his dad. _This_ is what he was buying that day when Cedric and I followed him! He remembered it and went back for it!”

“I –I dunno, Harry,” said Ron hesitantly. “Loads of people go to Borgin and Burkes ... and didn’t that girl say Katie got it in the girls’ bathroom?”

“She said she came back from the bathroom with it, she didn’t necessarily get it in the bathroom itself –“

But Harry was interrupted by Professor McGonagall who was hurrying to meet them. She gave the necklace to Filch to take to Professor Snape and took all of them to her office. Leanne retold the story to McGonagall and then was sent to the Hospital Wing. Harry, Ron and Hermione told what they saw as well.

“I think Draco Malfoy gave Katie that necklace, Professor,” Harry said, not being able to help himself.

“That is a serious accusation, Potter,” said Professor McGonagall, after a shocked pause. “Do you have any proof?”

“No,” said Harry, “but ...” and he told her about following Malfoy to Borgin and Burkes and the conversation he had overheard between him and Borgin.

“Malfoy took something to Borgin and Burkes for repair?” asked McGonagall, looking slightly confused.

“No, Professor, he just wanted Borgin to tell him how to mend something, he didn’t have it with him. But that’s not the point, the thing is that he bought something at the same time and I think it was that necklace –“

“You saw Malfoy leaving the shop with a similar package?”

“No, Professor,” Harry admitted.

“Potter, I appreciate you telling me this, but we cannot point the finger of blame at Mr Malfoy purely because he visited the shop where this necklace might have been purchased. The same is probably true of hundreds of people, and in any case, we have put stringent security measures in place this year, I do not believe that necklace can possibly have entered this school without our knowledge –“

“ – but –“

“ – and what is more,” said Professor McGonagall, “Mr Malfoy was not in Hogsmeade today.”

“How do you know, Professor?” asked Harry in awe.

“Because he was doing detention with me. He has now failed to complete his Transfiguration homework twice in a row. So, thank you for telling me your suspicions, Potter, but I need to go up to the hospital wing now to check on Katie Bell. Good day to you all.”

She held her office door for them and they had no other choice but to leave without another word. On their way to the Gryffindor Tower, they kept discussing for who the necklace might have been. Hermione thought it might have been for Harry but Harry didn’t believe that. In that case, Katie would have given it to him in Hogsmeade already. And Harry was sure it was from Malfoy, the only question he kept asking was how had he done it?

“Harry, Malfoy wasn’t in Hogsmeade!” said Hermione, frustrated.

“He must have had an accomplice then,” said Harry. “Crabbe or Goyle – or, come to think of it, another Death Eater, he’s joined up now, so why wouldn’t he have help?”

“Oh my God!” exclaimed Ron, frustrated. “If you’re so worried about Malfoy and so sure he’s done it, why don’t you just ask him? I cannot hear any more of this! Honestly, how is Cedric putting up with this weird obsession you have?”

“I ... er ...,” Harry was taken aback by Ron’s sudden scene and he felt himself blushing.

“What? I’m right, aren’t I?” Ron shot at him. “You’ve got this weird obsession! You’ve both always had it. So now when he doesn’t pay a tiny bit of attention to you, it’s driving you mad!”

“Hey! I’m not an attention seeker!” Harry defended himself. “I know I’m right and Malfoy needs to be stopped and he probably needs help! How are you guys not getting this?”

“Look, I don’t care about him, alright? Maybe that makes me a horrible person, but I truly don’t care! Why should I? It doesn’t matter the insults he threw at me, I could forgive that, but what he kept calling Hermione?”

“Ron ... it’s okay ... calm down,” said Hermione in a quiet voice, blushing.

“No! If you honestly believe all this, Harry, then just ask him. Talk to him! He’s probably gonna hit you in the face but after all this non-sense... you deserve it,” Ron said and both Hermione and Harry gaped at him. “If you’re right, then you’re right. And I’m the idiot again then. But we can discuss that when you have facts. Until then, goodnight!” he said and when the portrait opened he marched right up to the dormitory. It was still light outside.

Ron and Hermione stood in the common room, unsure of what to do.

“Er ... am I really that infuriating?” asked Harry nervously.

“Well ... it has been quite annoying,” Hermione said carefully. “But you know he doesn’t mean anything bad by it. I think he’s just ... er ... frustrated.”

“Yeah ... I guess he’s right,” said Harry. “I’ve got to talk to Malfoy.”

“What? No, that’s a terrible idea!” exclaimed Hermione. “He’s not going to talk to you and you’ll probably kill each other.”

“I have to try! Ron is right, this is leading nowhere.”

“Well ... whatever you think it’s best. I don’t agree ... but ... I know I can’t stop you,” Hermione said. “Just be careful when you do it. I’m going to talk to Ron now ... there’s no way he decided to skip dinner just like that.”

With that Hermione headed to the boys’ dormitory after Ron; and Harry was left alone in the common room. He sat down on one of the sofas and took out the Marauder’s Map. He couldn’t see Malfoy anywhere on the map, which was strange. Ron and Hermione returned after a while.

“Hey ... er ... Ron, listen, I’m sorry –,” started Harry.

“No, it’s okay, Harry, let’s just forget about it,” said Ron. “We’re not gonna mention that git until you have actual proof, deal?”

“Okay, yeah ... that seems fair,” nodded Harry.

“Good. So let’s go get dinner, I’m starving,” Ron grinned.

Katie Bell was moved to St. Mungo’s the next day, so naturally the whole school knew about it too. Only the details about her injury remained between Leanne, Harry, Ron and Hermione. There was a mention of it in the _Daily Prophet_ as well but nothing too detailed.

“There’s something about you too, Harry,” said Hermione as she was reading it during breakfast. “Oh ... that’s not very nice.”

“What is it?” asked Harry and Hermione started reading it out loud.

**Harry Potter, the Boy Who Lived, or as our faithful readers know him as – the Chosen One, was, according to our sources, present to the injury that happened to Katie Bell, a fellow Hogwarts student. We are sure that Mr Potter has done all he could to help his fellow Quidditch player. Harry Potter surely is the rising hero of the Wizarding World but we wanted to know who the real Harry is. We asked some Hogwarts students about Mr Potter’s interests, hobbies, favourite subjects, friends and _other_.**

**Harry Potter, an extraordinary wizard, who is trying to have an ordinary life like the rest of us. His favourite subject is Defence Against the Dark Arts but we discovered that, as of this year, he’s quite skilled in Potions as well. As the Gryffindor Quidditch Captain, he is, quite rightly so, obsessed with the sport.**

“So what? Even people who don’t know me can tell them that,” shrugged Harry.

“Oh, but this is where it gets interesting,” said Hermione and continued.

**Mr Potter was known to be living with his muggle relatives outside of Hogwarts but, according to our recent sources, he’s moved away. His location is unknown, due to obvious reasons. There are no known alive relatives that Mr Potter has. So, who is Mr Potter living with now and why did he have to move?**

“How could they know I moved away?” asked Harry, shocked.

“I don’t know but let’s be glad they don’t know where you live now,” said Hermione.

“Blimey, mate, are they _trying_ to get you captured by You-Know-Who?” said Ron.

“Well ...,” Hermione narrowed her eyes, “we don’t know how they check the people who write for them.”

“You think they might be Death Eaters?” asked Ron.

“I don’t know but I think it’s possible,” said Hermione. “There’s more, wait,” she continued.

**Harry Potter is well-known to be very close to the Weasley family. When the injury of Katie Bell happened, he was in fact in Hogsmeade visited by Fred and George Weasley, the owners of a joke shop on the Diagon Alley. With the Weasley twins paid a visit to Mr Potter also Cedric Diggory, a recent graduate of Hogwarts, who some of us might remember from the Triwizard Tournament. It is not the first time Mr Diggory was spotted with Mr Potter so we can assume their friendship is quite close. When we asked Mr Diggory, however, about his relationship to Mr Potter, he refused to comment. So what is this secrecy about their friendship?**

**“Oh, Harry and Cedric got close after the Tournament,” says Romilda Vane, a fellow Hogwarts student. “I guess they were both shaken up by the events. That brings people closer, doesn’t it?” We also asked Ms Vane about Mr Potter’s potential love life as he’s been in the eye of quite a few young witches. “Harry is very shy,” she says. “I don’t think he’s dating anyone ... yet.”**

“Who the fuck is Romilda Vane?” asked Harry and Hermione smacked him with the newspaper.

“Language!” she said sharply. “She’s that girl who is always ogling you. Didn’t you notice?”

“Not really,” shrugged Harry. “And I will not notice her harder now, don’t want to have anything to do with her.”

“Oh, Harry,” chuckled Ron, “breaking girls’ hearts and you don’t even know it.”

Harry just laughed nervously. He noticed that Malfoy was nowhere to be seen but that was not a surprise. He wasn’t at meals much anymore. But Harry had a set plan to talk to him no matter what. He needed to get all the facts and preferably before his lesson with Dumbledore on Monday evening, which was the next day. They headed to the library after breakfast but Harry was determined to find Malfoy.

“I forgot my Transfiguration notes,” he lied easily. “I’ll come to meet you in the library.”

Hermione and Ron just nodded and let him go. Harry rushed to the first empty classroom he’s encountered and opened the Marauder’s Map. He scanned it frantically to find Malfoy. He was looking for him the night before for maybe hours but he couldn’t find him. Harry was looking everywhere and he was almost losing his hope when – BINGO! Malfoy was in the girls’ bathroom on the second floor. _That’s ... a strange location,_ Harry thought. _But then, no one goes there so that’s probably why._

So Harry headed to the second floor. He walked in carefully, gripping his wand in his pocket in case Malfoy wanted to try something, but it seemed empty. Harry was sure he was there unless he managed to disappear somehow. It was so quiet there. Then, Harry heard a familiar whimpering voice.

“There, there, it’s okay,” said Moaning Myrtle. “Maybe you could come back and keep me company. The pipes get awfully lonely.”

“Leave me alone!” said a choked voice from one of the stalls.

Myrtle flew away from the stalls with a sigh and then she noticed Harry.

“Oh, hi, Harry,” she said in an attempted flirty voice. _Great, now Malfoy knows I’m here._ “You haven’t visited me in a long time. Have you decided to join me on the other side?”

“I quite fancy being alive but thanks for the offer. I’ll keep it in mind,” said Harry.

He heard some shuffling from the stall but Malfoy didn’t come out.

“I think he’ll join me sooner than you,” said Myrtle. “Shame, but he’s nice too.”

“What do you mean, Myrtle?” asked Harry, getting quite scared. “Is he okay there?”

Then the door of the stall opened and Malfoy stood facing him. He seemed to be putting a lot of effort into standing straight and still. His skin was almost ashen colour and his eyes were red, either from crying or lack of sleep ... or both.

“Potter,” he spat and drew out his wand.

Before Harry could react somehow, Malfoy took a step closer, his legs gave in and he fell. Harry rushed forward to catch him.

“Malfoy, what happened?” Harry asked in a rushed voice and he carefully sat them both down on the floor.

“Fuck off, Potter! I don’t need help from the Chosen One!” snarled Malfoy.

“I’m glad your tongue was not affected by whatever happened to you.”

“Just leave me alone!” Malfoy spat again and tried to wiggle himself out of Harry’s arms.

He tried to get up but after a while gave up on it. Harry noticed he was trying probably very hard not to cry in front of him.

“I know I’m probably the last person you want to talk to,” said Harry, “but please ... tell me what happened?”

“Never thought I’d hear the Chosen One say please,” replied Malfoy instead and Harry sighed.

“I’m not leaving,” he said and Malfoy stayed quiet.

“He took the Calming Draught,” said Myrtle.

“Oh, that’s not too bad,” said Harry.

“You can overdose on it,” she said and Harry gaped at her in horror.

“How much did you take?” Harry shook Draco’s shoulders and he just smirked at him. “I have to take you to the Hospital Wing, come on!” he said and started lifting Draco up.

“No, Potter! Let go!” Malfoy shouted and managed to kick Harry away.

“He threw up quite a lot, that might be helpful,” said Myrtle.

“Myrtle! Can you go to the library and tell Ron and Hermione to come here, please?” asked Harry.

“Well ... just because it’s you, Harry,” smiled Myrtle and disappeared.

“I don’t want those two anywhere near me!” spat Malfoy. “Just fuck off already, Potter, don’t play the hero, I don’t want to be saved!”

“Look, you don’t want to go to the Hospital Wing and I don’t know how else to help you. But Hermione will know.”

“Of course she will, that filthy little Mud-“

“Careful! You don’t want to have a broken nose too!” Harry warned him. “Why would you do this?”

“None of your business!” said Malfoy harshly but then his face turned green. He tried to get to the toilet but his legs were still not cooperating. Harry quickly helped him up and just in time for Draco to throw up in the toilet.

“Harry, what happened?” he heard Hermione ask as she and Ron ran inside the bathroom.

“I have a situation over here!” Harry called out.

“Merlin’s beard!” exclaimed Ron as Harry helped Malfoy sat back down on the floor.

“Great, Potter,” said Malfoy but his voice sounded very tired, “you brought your little friends to laugh at my expense. I’d clap but my hands don’t work.”

“What happened?” asked Hermione as she crouched down facing them.

“I ... er ... found him like this,” said Harry. “Myrtle said he overdosed on Calming Draught. He threw up now and apparently before that too.”

“That’s serious, Harry! We have to take him to Madame Pomfrey!” urged Hermione, looking concerned.

“He kicked me when I tried to,” confessed Harry.

“Just leave me alone!” said Malfoy.

“Okay, okay,” said Hermione, trying to sound calm. “He’s conscious and he’s able to talk, so that’s good.”

“But his legs and arms don’t work,” said Harry.

“Well, obviously,” nodded Hermione. “When you take too much Calming Draught it will start numbing different parts of your body. Malfoy, do you have troubles breathing?”

“Fuck off!” spat Malfoy.

“Seems like he’s alright,” said Ron calmly but he looked shaken up.

“Malfoy, is this really how you want to die?” asked Harry.

Draco looked at him with great difficulty. Then he gulped and tears started running down his cheeks. He shook his head.

“Okay, so tell us, do you have troubles breathing?”

“No,” he said almost inaudibly.

“Okay, that’s good,” said Hermione. “He probably threw most of it out before it could shut down the rest of his body,” she put her hand to his forehead at which Draco flinched a little bit. “He’s got a fever. That’s good. That means his body is fighting with it.”

“So what do we do?” asked Ron.

“Well, the best option would be to take him to Madam Pomfrey,” said Hermione. “The next option is to wait. And make sure he doesn’t fall asleep and choke. There is a potion that he could take but I don’t have it and I’m not sure he would hold it in anyway.”

“Severus,” said Malfoy.

“What?” asked Harry.

“Bring Snape. He’s my godfather. He’ll know what to do.”

“Okay, so Ron and I will go find Snape and you’ll wait with his here?” asked Hermione and Harry nodded.

“Tell me if you need to throw up again,” said Harry after a moment of silence.

“I’ll throw up on you,” said Malfoy. “It’ll be my final strike against you.”

“I think you’re coming back to normal,” Harry chuckled a little bit.

“Yippee,” said Malfoy sarcastically.

“So what happened?” asked Harry.

“You tell me, you stalk me all the time,” replied Malfoy.

“I do not!”

“Tell me, doesn’t Diggory get jealous?”

“No! And ... how do you? ... er ... what?”

“I’m a very observant person, Potter,” snarled Malfoy. “Unlike the rest of the wizarding world, I notice things. Like that our _Chosen One_ is gay!”

“Shut up! I’m not,” said Harry.

“Calm down, Potter. I’m stating facts, not accusing you of shagging the Dark Lord.”

“I’m not, though,” Harry repeated. “I don’t know what I am. Bisexual probably,” he shrugged.

“Same difference,” Malfoy said lazily.

“It’s really not. I don’t know ... I just like people after I have a deeper connection with them or something.”

“Hm, touching.”

“Ugh ... why am I telling you this?” Harry asked in a frustrated voice.

“Because you like when people listen to you and you hate silence so you need to fill it up. Plus you really don’t know how to talk to people in general, let alone me.”

“What? How do you gather all of that?”

“I told you ... I’m observant,” said Malfoy. “Now, lift me up so I can throw up in a toilet like a civilized person.”

Harry helped him up again. When Draco finished he dared to speak again.

“You know ... if you need help, or just talk ... you could ... er ... come to me. I won’t rub it in your face,” said Harry carefully.

“Hm, truly a day worth writing in my diary,” replied Malfoy.

“I mean it. I want to help. No one deserves to be this miserable.”

“Potter, this is literally the last of me you’ll see. I’ll be avoiding you forever if I survive this.”

“Well, if you change your mind ... the offer stands,” said Harry.

At that moment he could hear rushed footsteps nearing the bathroom. Soon enough, Snape was there, followed by Ron and Hermione.

“Step away from him, Potter,” ordered Snape and Harry quickly got up and joined Ron and Hermione. “I’ll deduct points from each of you for not bringing him into the Hospital Wing immediately.”

“No,” said Malfoy. “I kicked him so he wouldn’t take me,” he confessed. “I didn’t want to go. I sent them for you.”

“I see,” said Snape. “Then you three can leave, I believe. You will not speak of this to anyone else, understood?”

“Yes, sir,” said Hermione and Harry and Ron nodded along.

“Hey, Potter!” exclaimed Draco weakly just as Harry was about to leave. “Thanks.”

“Sure,” said Harry. “Thanks for not throwing up on me.”

Harry, Ron and Hermione left the bathroom just as they heard Snape say: “what have you done, you stupid ungrateful boy?” They headed to the Gryffindor Tower in silence. When they finally sat down in the almost empty common room, Ron spoke up.

“So ... you were right,” he said. “I guess I’m the idiot again.”

“You’re not,” said Harry. “And I don’t know what I was right about. It’s not like he told me anything.”

“You went looking for him, didn’t you?” asked Hermione. “That’s how you found him there.”

“Yeah,” Harry nodded. “I wanted to talk to him. I thought it would be good to try.”

“Well, it’s okay, imagine if you didn’t find him,” said Ron.

“Why do you think he did it?” asked Hermione.

“Do you want my assumption or am I still not allowed to talk about him?” asked Harry.

“Oh, please, Harry, what do you think?” smirked Ron.

“He managed to give that necklace to Katie somehow. It was meant for someone else. So I assume he wanted to curse that someone else or he didn’t fully know what the necklace would do. When it cursed Katie, he obviously felt guilty. He may be a git but I don’t think he wants to kill anyone. So he felt terrible and probably wanted to calm himself. He took the potion but accidentally took more.”

“Well ... maybe,” said Hermione. “You don’t think he did it on purpose?”

“I don’t know ... I want to think it was an accident,” Harry admitted.

“You think he meant to off himself?” asked Ron.

“You don’t just accidentally overdose on a Calming Draught!” said Hermione.

“Bloody hell,” Ron sighed. “This may be more serious than we thought.”

“Yeah,” Harry nodded.

“Are you gonna try and talk to him again?” asked Ron.

“I want to. I offered him help but he didn’t want to take it. But I will try to talk to him. If not, I’ll talk to Dumbledore tomorrow,” said Harry.

“Are you gonna tell Cedric? Or Sirius and Remus?” asked Ron.

“I don’t know,” Harry sighed. “I probably will but I feel like I shouldn’t.”

“You should,” said Hermione firmly and Ron nodded.

“Okay,” nodded Harry.

“We should probably do our homework. No point in us sitting here,” said Hermione finally and Harry and Ron reluctantly agreed.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you so much for reading, let me know what you think!!  
> This is where we part further from the actual canon of the book and I have big plans.  
> I'm not sure when I'll post the next chapter but I'll try before the end of August because after that I'm going to uni (whoop whoop)
> 
> I hope everyone is safe and well!!! ♥


	24. Letting You In

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> What's up, Draco?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> CW for the chapter before I say a lot of things: it's a bit dark, mentions of suicide attempt, dark thoughts, claustrophobia, panic attacks.
> 
> Hey, guys! I'M BACK!! (For a bit)  
> First of all, thank you ALL SO MUCH for the lovely response I had on pausing this story. And also for being patient with me. You all really make me happy, I'm so glad you enjoy my writing and that you leave kudos, or comments. Thank you!!! <3  
> Second of all, I am still very much busy with university so I'd like to warn you that the updates are not going to be regular. I am not able to even say when the next update is going to be but I will try to work on this in my free time. I really enjoy writing and I like writing this story so I definitely won't be abandoning it, it's just going to take some time :).  
> Lastly, some of you already know that I'm on tumblr, come say hi to me there if you want :). It's @juhele and I mostly just reblog stuff I like, no original content there haha.

Harry wrote to Sirius and Remus that evening to tell them what happened. He was reluctant to do that because he was sure Malfoy wouldn’t want people to know. But he needed advice. He needed to do something. He needed to help him. So, in hope that Sirius and Remus would have some magical resolution to this situation, he wrote to them. But he decided to wait before telling Cedric. He would try to sort it out somehow and tell Cedric once he knows more about what to do. _Yes, that’s better, no point in worrying him about this just yet,_ Harry thought.

Malfoy didn’t come to classes the next day nor the Great Hall. Harry decided to swing by the Hospital Wing to see if he was there but instead, he was forced to have a conversation with Madam Pomfrey about his mental health.

“I’m okay, Madam Pomfrey, honestly,” he said.

“Mr Potter,” she said in a stern voice, “I’ve seen you in the Hospital Wing more times than I’d like to know that you don’t ask for help. And I know you’re getting better but one has to be careful.”

“I know, I know,” Harry sighed. “And I’m careful.”

“Okay, good,” she replied. “Was there anything you needed then?”

“I was wondering if Draco Malfoy was here?” Harry asked in a hushed voice as if he was afraid of saying Malfoy’s name out loud.

“No, he’s not,” said Madame Pomfrey and eyed Harry suspiciously. “Why should he be?”

“Oh … er … no reason … I was just wondering,” Harry blabbered out. “Well … off I go … to classes … er … goodbye,” and he stumbled out of the Hospital Wing.

 _Great, Harry, that was smooth,_ he thought to himself on his way to classes. They had Defence Against the Dark Arts with Snape so Harry was determined to ask him about Malfoy’s wellbeing after class. Snape gave no indication or recognition of what happened the night before during class. He was acting as usual. Which meant he took points from Gryffindor because Harry kept staring at him.

“Er … sir?” Harry started as everyone was packing their things.

“I hope this is related to your poor execution of non-verbal spells, Potter, otherwise you’re just wasting everyone’s time.”

“I just wanted to know how Malfoy is doing,” Harry said in a small voice.

Snape looked at him very sternly. “Mr Malfoy is none of your concern, Potter. If you put the energy you put into wandering around the castle to studying instead, your marks for non-verbal spells wouldn’t be so poor, perhaps.”

“If I didn’t wander around the castle, Malfoy would be dead!” Harry shot back.

“Silence, boy!” retorted Snape. “No one needs to know what happened yesterday. Mr Malfoy is in his dormitory and he’s going to be okay. You don’t need to put your nose into it any further.”

“But –,” Harry tried again.

“Now go,” said Snape.

Harry sighed and left. There was no point in arguing any further. But he needed to talk to Malfoy at some point.

“Just wait a few days, Harry,” said Hermione as they discussed it over lunch. “Maybe you can catch him between classes. I don’t think he’d want to talk to you but I agree that you should try.”

“Yeah, mate,” nodded Ron. “No need in sneaking into Slytherin, he’s going to come out eventually.”

“I wasn’t planning on sneaking there,” said Harry. “I think it was enough in the second year.”

“Are you going to ask Dumbledore about it tonight?” asked Hermione.

“I don’t know. I want to but I feel like he’s going to dismiss it.”

“Maybe just ask him about Katie and if he has any suspicion who did it. See where it goes after,” said Ron.

Harry nodded. They went to Potions after and Harry still couldn’t stop thinking about it. He kept seeing Malfoy’s sad face, his puffy eyes and frail shaking body. It made Harry angry. The whole war made him angry. But no one deserved that. This type of life. Harry kept thinking about how scared Malfoy’s eyes looked even when he was trying to seem normal. And it reminded Harry of himself.

That evening Harry had a lesson with Dumbledore. And normally he would be quite excited for it but today he felt very odd.

“You look troubled, Harry,” said Dumbledore. “I believe you witnessed Katie’s accident while I’ve been away. Is that troubling you?”

“Partly, sir,” said Harry. “How is she?”

“Still very unwell, although she was relatively lucky. She appears to have brushed the necklace with the smallest possible amount of skin, there was a tiny hole in her glove. Had she put it on, had she even held it in her ungloved hand, she would have died, perhaps instantly. Luckily Professor Snape was able to do enough to prevent rapid spread of the curse –“

“Why him?” asked Harry quickly. “Why not Madam Pomfrey?”

“Professor Snape knows much more about the Dark Arts than Madam Pomfrey, Harry. Anyway, the St. Mungo’s staff are sending me hourly reports and I am hopeful that Katie will make a full recovery in time.”

“Is Snape quite skilled in healing, sir?” asked Harry.

“ _Professor_ Snape as a Potions Master and a member of the Order has to know a bit of that and a bit of this about healing, Harry,” smiled Dumbledore. “Why do you ask?”

“I was just wondering,” said Harry. “Has he told you anything about … er … Draco Malfoy?”

Dumbledore raised an eyebrow. “Professor McGonagall told me about your suspicion that Draco Malfoy cursed Katie Bell,” he said. “Was there anything more to that story?”

“Er … I’m not supposed to say,” Harry said awkwardly.

“Very well,” smiled Dumbledore. “Let’s just say I might know about what you’re not supposed to say, Harry. And you should not trouble yourself over it more.”

“But, sir … how can I not? I mean … someone has to help him.”

“And why do you think that someone has to be you, my boy?” said Dumbledore wisely.

“I don’t think it has to be me. I just think that if no one does then I should.”

“I see,” smiled Dumbledore. “It’s not always easy to help people, Harry. And it’s not always possible to help everyone.”

“But don’t you think we should at least try?”

“Yes. And that’s why you shouldn’t concern yourself with it any longer,” said Dumbledore kindly. “What you should concern yourself with now, Harry is our lesson.”

Harry felt slightly resentful at that. If their lessons were so important why did they have such a long break between them? But he didn’t say anything else. This time they entered Dumbledore’s own memory. Harry saw a younger version of Dumbledore visiting an orphanage. He was talking to the matron, Mrs Cole, about Tom Riddle, asking her about his mother and his childhood there. Then they went to see Tom and Dumbledore talked to him about Hogwarts.

It was strange to see Voldemort as this vulnerable sad child who was ready to believe he was special. Who was ready to leave the place he lived at. It was all too familiar. Harry didn’t have the time to discuss it with Ron and Hermione as he returned quite late to the dormitory. But the more he got to know about Voldemort’s past the more troubled and sadder he felt.

There was no sight of Malfoy the next morning at breakfast either but Harry received a letter from Sirius and Remus. He decided to read it later as it was time to go to Herbology. During class, Harry told Ron and Hermione about his lesson with Dumbledore.

“Wow, scary thought, the boy You-Know-Who,” said Ron quietly. “But I still don’t get why Dumbledore’s showing you all this. I mean, it’s really interesting and everything, but what’s the point?”

“Dunno,” said Harry. “But he says it’s all important and it’ll help me survive.”

“I think it’s fascinating,” said Hermione earnestly. “It makes absolute sense to know as much about Voldemort as possible. How else will you find out his weaknesses?”

“So how was Slughorn’s latest party?” Harry asked Hermione.

“Oh, it was quite fun, really,” said Hermione as she was putting her protective goggles on. “I mean, he drones on about famous ex-pupils a bit, and he absolutely _fawns_ on McLaggen because he’s so well-connected, but he gave us some really nice food and he introduced us to Gwenog Jones.”

“Gwenog Jones?” said Ron, his eyes widening under his own goggles. “ _The_ Gwenog Jones? Captain of the Holyhead Harpies?”

“That’s right,” said Hermione. “Personally, I thought she was a bit full of herself, but –“

“ _Quite_ enough chat over here!” said Professor Sprout briskly. “You’re lagging behind, everybody else has started and Neville’s already got his first pod!”

“OK, Professor, we’re starting now!” said Ron. “Can’t believe you met Gwenog Jones,” he pouted as they started working.

“I got you an autograph, Ronald,” said Hermione.

“Really?” Ron blushed.

“Yes. Come on, get going,” she said sternly and Harry chuckled to himself. “Anyway, Slughorn’s going to have a Christmas party, Harry, and there’s no way you’ll be able to wriggle out of this one because he actually asked me to check your free evenings, so he could be sure to have it on a night you can come.”

Harry groaned.

“And this is another party just for Slughorn’s favourites, is it?” said Ron, a bit annoyed.

“Yes,” said Hermione. “But we’re allowed to bring guests.”

“Oh?” said Ron.

“I was going to ask you,” said Hermione, blushing slightly.

“You were?”

“Hm,” she nodded. “But I know how stupid you think these parties are.”

“I mean … yeah … er …,” Ron was blushing. “But … I’d like to come … er … with you … if you want.”

“Okay,” smiled Hermione.

It was quiet for a while; Harry was trying really hard not to chuckle. Both Ron and Hermione were pointedly paying attention to their assignment.

“Do you think I can bring Cedric then?” asked Harry. “To the party.”

“I don’t know. I don’t think you can bring anyone outside from school,” said Hermione. “But didn’t you want to keep it quiet about you two anyway?”

“Yeah,” Harry sighed. “It’s just … I don’t know who else to take and it would be nice to see him.”

“I know. But think about who you’re going to take, otherwise, Romilda Vane might try to have your head,” said Hermione teasingly.

“Don’t even,” said Harry. “I’ll figure it out. I’ll go with someone nice.”

They continued with their class. There was still no sign of Malfoy all day and Harry tried not to think about him too much. They had a lot of homework to do after all, as Hermione never forgot to point out. That evening, Harry finally got to read the letter he got from Sirius and Remus.

_Dear Harry,_

_Thank you for your letter. Remus is on a mission right now so I’ll try to be smart without him. I’m glad you told us what happened. Please keep us updated. I’m not going to lie to you, it troubles me. It troubles me a lot. The more I think about it the more it reminds me of my brother Regulus. I know I’ve never really talked about him to you. And I don’t want to go to too much detail but I think you should know this story._

_My younger brother Regulus joined Voldemort at a very young age. Sometimes I think it’s partially my fault. We used to be inseparable, you know when we were kids. Just the two of us in the scary house against our freaky parents. But I went to Hogwarts and was sorted into Gryffindor. That was when my parents started to really resent me. I was no longer someone they could be proud of (not that I was before, but they could pretend). Regulus was left alone in that house with them. There was no one outside of their twisted ideology who could talk to him. So, when I got back each summer, he would be quiet. He wouldn’t talk to me. And maybe I just didn’t try hard enough. When he went to Hogwarts and was sorted into Slytherin, I didn’t try talking to him. I was proud and had my friends. He had his friends in Slytherin and he was happy that our parents could be proud of him. At least that’s what I think. We grew further apart. When my parents beat me, he would help me with healing spells but he would never say anything. And when it got too bad at home, I ran to James. And I left him there. He became a Death Eater at the age of sixteen, foolishly. I don’t think he had a choice. Even if he didn’t want to become one, it was an honour for our family. And Regulus was now the only son. I didn’t speak to him, I didn’t try. And then he was dead. They found him dead somewhere and no one knows what happened to him. Sometimes, I wonder if I could’ve stopped it if I could’ve helped him. I know Regulus wasn’t evil. He had a kind heart; he was funny and very gentle. He was the only one who Kreacher liked. He was just unlucky._

_And Draco’s family circumstances just seem way too familiar. And after you told me what happened, I am sure Draco doesn’t want to follow in his father’s footsteps. But he feels there might be no way out for him. I’m glad you found him when you did and that you helped him. As much as I don’t like Snape, I’m sure he cares for the boy since he’s his godfather. Snape is a close friend to both Narcissa and Lucius but he is also in the Order. And since Dumbledore says we can trust him, I guess we trust him._

_I’d suggest you try speaking to Draco when you get the chance. I know he probably won’t talk to you but try offering him help. And please keep me updated._

_As for your question about our wellbeing: we’re both safe. Remus keeps going on missions but he always comes back. I do miss him and I am worried about him. But I know he is strong and that he will come back to me. I’ve been quite busy with running the safe house. People from the Order keep coming in, stay for a few days, and then they leave. I try my best to keep them safe, help them if they need anything. At least I feel useful like I’m doing my part. Cedric’s mother, Constance, was here several times, Dumbledore appointed her as one of the Order’s mediwitches. She told me Cedric’s been doing just fine. But I’m sure you’re in touch with him._

_Stay safe, Harry._

_Love,_

_Padfoot._

Harry was glad Sirius told him about Regulus. He always wondered about him but now he understood why Sirius never talked about him. He could see the similarities with Malfoy and he was determined to try and not let something like this happen to anyone else.

As it happened, Malfoy was in the Great Hall the next morning. He looked awful. His skin was almost ashy grey, there were bags under his eyes, his hair was unbrushed and he looked so thin. Harry wanted to go to him but he couldn’t. It would be strange if he did. So, he just stared at him. He watched as Malfoy sat down next to Pansy Parkinson, who handed him a plate with toast. He took the plate and put it down in front of him. She smiled at him sadly and took his hand. It was so gentle and Harry realised that all this time he didn’t think they were actually friends. _Or is she his girlfriend,_ Harry thought to himself. _Maybe he doesn’t need me to look out for him. But then why didn’t she know? Why didn’t she help?_ Malfoy looked up at that moment and he was staring back at Harry. Pansy was now looking at Harry too. And Harry didn’t know what to do. Then Malfoy got up, Pansy was saying something to him but he just patted her shoulder and left the table without eating his breakfast. Before he walked out of the door, he glanced at Harry one last time. Harry looked at Pansy who just raised her eyebrows at him. Hermione nudged him and then Harry decided to get up and follow Malfoy.

Harry walked out of the Great Hall and there was no sign of Malfoy. So, he walked to the staircase. Suddenly, someone grabbed him and pushed him into a broom cupboard.

“Potter,” snarled Malfoy. “What did you tell Dumbledore?”

“What?” asked Harry. He was very aware of the small space and felt himself getting agitated. _Why can’t we talk somewhere normal? Why a cupboard of all places?_

“You said something didn’t you?” asked Malfoy sharply.

“No,” breathed Harry. He felt himself getting panicked from the small space and that’s so not how he wanted this to go.

“You got me in a lot of trouble, do you realise?” continued Malfoy. “Of course, you don’t, saint Potter, only doing what he thinks is heroic …”

Harry heard him going on but he couldn’t make out the words. He was focusing on his breathing. It was getting warm and the space was too small. He could hear Dudley thumping on the stairs above him and he could feel the dust falling onto his face. He could hear the whistling sound of a kettle from the kitchen and Aunt Petunia banging on his tiny door and he couldn’t breathe. He was back, it was all a dream, he was a kid again and –

“Potter!” snapped Malfoy and Harry only registered it because he shook him by his shoulders. “Are you going to faint? Don’t faint on me, they’ll frame me for murder attempt!”

“I need to get out,” Harry rasped out and stumbled to the door.

He almost fell out into the hallway. Finally, he could breathe again.

“Okay, what happened? Did you try to make us even or something?” said Malfoy as he walked out of the broom cupboard behind Harry.

“No … sorry … I just don’t like small spaces,” Harry said quietly. “Can we talk somewhere else?”

“I don’t want to talk to you.”

“Oh, sorry I got the wrong impression from you dragging me into that cupboard.”

“I just wanted to yell at you but your panic attack ruined it,” shrugged Malfoy. “I’m good now. We’re even.”

“No!” protested Harry. “We need to talk. Don’t tell me you’re okay.”

“Why would I talk to you of all people?” snarled Malfoy.

“Okay. Either talk to me or I will tell Dumbledore about what happened. I didn’t tell anyone. Yet.”

“Didn’t know Gryffindors could blackmail,” said Malfoy. “Fine. Tonight. After dinner. Astronomy Tower.”

Before Harry could say anything, Malfoy was gone.

Harry went to his classes as usual and told Ron and Hermione about his meeting with Malfoy at dinner.

“Do you think he’s gonna push you off the tower?” asked Ron.

“Why would he do that, Ronald?” said Hermione.

“Dunno,” shrugged Ron. “I’m just saying that just because he has some issues or whatever doesn’t mean he’s not a git anymore.”

“Well, thanks for your concern, Ron,” said Harry. “But I think it’ll be fine. If he wanted to kill me, he would do it in that cupboard today already.”

“What cupboard?” asked Ron.

“Oh, he dragged me into a broom cupboard this morning to yell at me or something,” shrugged Harry. “Didn’t go too well.”

“Are you okay?” asked Hermione, looking concerned. They both knew that Harry avoided small spaces at all cost but Harry never explained too much why.

“Well … it wasn’t fun. But I’m fine now,” Harry assured them. “Okay, I’m gonna go, I’ll talk to you guys later,” he said and got up.

“Okay, be safe,” smiled Hermione while Ron said something incomprehensible because his mouth was full.

Harry walked up to the Astronomy Tower. There was no one yet. He sat down by one of the windows and waited.

“Impatient, Potter?” said a snarky voice after a while.

Harry looked up at Malfoy who just walked in. He sat down opposite Harry.

“So,” said Malfoy. “You wanted to talk.”

“I didn’t tell Dumbledore,” said Harry.

“Right.”

“So … er … how are you … er … feeling? You’re … er … okay?”

“Honestly, Potter, were you raised to be so awkward or was that something you mastered on your own?” smirked Malfoy.

“Oh, excuse me for caring,” Harry rolled his eyes.

“Aw, you care, I’m touched.”

“Can you be serious for a minute?”

“Alright,” sighed Malfoy. “I’m alive as you can see, I can move again, so yay, well done on saving the day again, Chosen One.”

“I don’t care about saving the day, I want to know what happened!” retorted Harry, getting frustrated now. “Why did you do it? And what’s happening with you now?”

“I can’t tell you, Potter,” sighed Malfoy. “I can’t tell you why I did it and I don’t know what’s happening with me now. Somehow, Dumbledore found out. I suspect Severus. So, I don’t know what happens now.”

“Okay,” said Harry. “If I promise you that I won’t get angry or tell anyone, will you tell me? I know it’s got to do with Voldemort.”

Malfoy shuddered at the name and suddenly looked terrified.

“I want to help you, Draco,” said Harry.

“Alright,” said Malfoy quietly. “I’ll make you a deal. You tell me what was the cupboard panic about and I’ll tell you something about me too.”

“Something related to this?”

“Yes, Potter, I’m not going to tell you a childhood story,” Malfoy rolled his eyes.

“Okay,” nodded Harry. “I haven’t told anyone this.”

“Not even Diggory?”

“I told him some things related to this but not especially this. I mean he knows I don’t like small spaces. Hermione and Ron know too. They just don’t know why.”

“Okay. I’ll feel special knowing then,” snorted Malfoy.

“It’s …,” sighed Harry. “I was sleeping in a cupboard under the stairs until I was eleven.”

“What?”

“My family … they would lock me there often if I misbehaved or if they just didn’t want me around. And it was my room. I got an actual room when I was eleven and went to Hogwarts. They moved me then to one of my cousin’s bedrooms.”

“I don’t understand.”

“There’s nothing to understand, Malfoy. I was a waste of space for them. I don’t even know why they didn’t get rid of me.”

“But you’re Harry Potter,” said Malfoy.

“That doesn’t mean anything. My relatives hated magic.”

“You don’t live there anymore, do you?”

“No,” said Harry. “I moved out this summer.”

“Good,” said Malfoy and Harry was surprised. “It’s just … er …,” Malfoy sighed. “I know what it is like to grow up in an abusive home,” he said quietly. “No one deserves that.”

“Yeah,” said Harry. “So … what happened?”

“The necklace … it was me who cursed Katie Bell,” said Malfoy and his voice sounded weak.

“Why?”

“I … fuck,” he sighed. “You promise you’re not going to do something stupidly heroic or push me off the Astronomy Tower when I tell you?”

“I … I promise,” said Harry.

“I don’t know why I’m telling you this. Why am I telling you this? You’re the last person I should be telling this,” he started rambling.

“Malfoy, Malfoy … Draco! It’s fine, I promise, it’s going to be okay,” said Harry.

“Alright,” Malfoy breathed out and then he rolled up his sleeve on his left forearm. It was the Dark Mark, as Harry feared.

“No,” sighed Harry. “I mean I had my suspicion but I hoped it wasn’t true.”

“It is,” said Malfoy and his voice cracked. “I had no choice, Potter, he was going to hurt my family.”

“I know,” said Harry calmly.

“So … you’re not angry?” asked Malfoy, surprised.

“No. I’m just sad. I wish you had a choice.”

“He lives in my house, Potter,” said Malfoy. “And he wanted to punish my family for my father’s failure at the Ministry. I didn’t want to curse Katie. No one was supposed to get hurt.”

“Why did you do it then?”

“He wants me to kill Dumbledore,” whispered Malfoy.

“What? But … you’re only sixteen!”

“Thank you, Potter, I noticed that,” retorted Malfoy. “I know it’s an impossible task. He knows it too. It’s supposed to be punishment for my family, remember? I’m supposed to kill him and find a way for the Death Eaters to get to Hogwarts.”

“But … you can’t!”

“Anyway, the necklace was just an attempt. It wasn’t supposed to get through the gate. But it was supposed to be a good enough attempt so it would look like I tried. Katie was never meant to touch it herself,” he said, his voice weak again. “When I found out I felt so sick. I don’t want to kill anybody,” there were tears in his eyes now. “There has been so much darkness and violence around me my whole life and I don’t want to contribute to that. But I have no choice.”

“Draco … did you take the Calming Draught by accident?” Harry asked carefully.

“No,” Malfoy shook his head. “At first I took it to calm myself. I was having a panic attack after panic attack. But then … something clicked in my head … and I thought to myself: ‘if I die, that’s going to be a punishment enough for my family and he’ll leave my parents alone’. So, I took it. It seemed like the only way out.”

“Oh, Draco,” sighed Harry.

“You know, I couldn’t care less about my father. He’s been nothing but horrible to me. I just want my mother to be safe. She’s … she’s a good person.”

“What are you going to do now?” asked Harry.

“What can I do?” shrugged Malfoy. “Dumbledore wants to talk to me. I think Severus told him about the Calming Draught. But I don’t think he knows about the rest. Who knows what he knows. But I guess I’ll just go back to another pathetic attempt to kill the Headmaster.”

“Or we could figure out a way?” said Harry.

“No, I told you no stupid heroic ideas!”

“Look,” sighed Harry, “what if you told Dumbledore about it. What if you switched sides. I’m sure he could help your mother too.”

“No,” said Malfoy. “I’m not you, Potter. He’s not going to just help me. Let alone my mother.”

“But there has to be a way!”

“There’s not always a way, Potter.”

“When are you talking to him?”

“Tomorrow evening.”

“I’m coming with you,” said Harry. “I’ll talk to him with you.”

“No! Why? I don’t need you to hold my hand, Potter, I’m not five years old!”

“Look, do you want to get out of this situation or not?”

“I do, but there’s no way.”

“We have to at least try.”

Malfoy stared at him for a while, contemplating the whole thing. Then he sighed.

“What if Dumbledore’s going to send me to Azkaban and then he’s going to kill my mother?”

“That’s not going to happen. I won’t let that happen!” said Harry.

“You think you have more power here than you actually do, Potter.”

“I know Dumbledore. He’s not going to send a sixteen-year-old boy to Azkaban.”

“Okay,” sighed Malfoy and got up. “Meet me in front of Dumbledore’s office tomorrow after dinner.”

“Okay,” nodded Harry and followed after Malfoy.

“You don’t tell anyone about this, understood? Not even Weasel and the Know-It-All. Or your goody-shoes boyfriend.”

“Er … okay … I won’t,” said Harry.

“I mean it. At least until we see what Dumbledore says. I don’t need more people on my case,” said Malfoy sharply.

“Alright, I promise,” said Harry as they walked out of the Astronomy Tower.

They stood there awkwardly for a minute, just staring at each other. Then Malfoy offered Harry his hand.

“Thank you … Harry,” he said.

“Of course … Draco,” Harry smiled and shook Draco’s hand. “I’ll see you tomorrow.”

“Yeah, don’t forget to tell your diary, scarhead,” sneered Draco and then he left.

Harry chuckled to himself before he walked to the opposite direction towards the Gryffindor Tower.

“Why won’t you tell us?” whined Ron at breakfast the next day.

“I promised, Ron, I’m sorry,” said Harry.

“But we’re your friends. Hermione, don’t you think he should tell us?”

“It’s not Harry’s story to tell, Ron,” said Hermione. “And I’m sure Harry will tell us once it’s sorted out.”

“I will,” smiled Harry. “Don’t worry, Ron. I’m not trying to exclude you,” he assured his friend.

“Alright,” said Ron begrudgingly.

That evening Harry was feeling anxious as he walked towards the Headmaster’s office. He wanted this to go well. And He promised Draco it would. But what did he know? Draco was already there, waiting for him. He was playing with the hems of his robes nervously.

“Alright, Potter, let’s go in,” he said in his typical snarky voice but Harry could see he was anxious.

Harry said the password and they walked up together to the office door. Draco knocked reluctantly and then they walked in.

“Ah, Draco,” smiled Dumbledore but then raised his eyebrows at Harry. “And Harry? What an unusual visit, indeed.”

“I’m sorry, headmaster,” said Malfoy. “But Potter insisted on coming with me.”

“I see,” said Dumbledore. “I can’t say I’m surprised,” he chuckled. “I knew Harry wouldn’t let this go even when I told him to.”

“Er … I’m sorry, sir,” said Harry guiltily.

“It’s quite alright, my boy,” said Dumbledore. “So, why won’t you sit down?”

They both sat down and Dumbledore flicked his wand and there were two cups of tea on the table in front of them.

“So,” Dumbledore started. “Draco. I hear you had quite an accident the other day.”

“Yes … erhm … did Professor Snape tell you?”

“He did,” nodded Dumbledore. “Professor Snape cares about you quite a lot, Draco. This incident alarmed him so he felt the need to raise my awareness of your wellbeing.”

“I’m alright now, sir,” said Malfoy.

“No, he’s not!” said Harry fiercely. “Tell him what happened.”

“Harry, please,” smiled Dumbledore. “Mr Malfoy can tell me only what he wants to tell me. What feels right to him.”

“I … er … I took the Calming Draught …. It wasn’t an accident,” said Draco and was looking into his lap. “I cursed Katie Bell.”

“Very well,” said Dumbledore calmly. “Do you wish to tell me anything else?”

“I …,” Draco looked up, he sighed and then he reluctantly showed his Dark Mark.

“I see,” said Dumbledore somewhat kindly. “I understand that you do not wish to kill me anymore?”

“I …,” Draco looked at Harry and they both shared a surprised look. “I never wanted to, sir. But I have no other choice.”

“That’s what I thought so too, Draco,” said Dumbledore. “But I think we might have an alternative plan.”

“We?” asked Harry. “Were you planning this already, sir?”

“Not entirely, Harry,” said Dumbledore. “I was aware of Mr Malfoy’s situation but didn’t dare to interfere as I saw no valuable solution. But every since that incident in the bathroom, Professor Snape was urging me to act. He will be joining us shortly after I explain everything to you.”

Draco and Harry exchanged looks. Harry felt a bit resentful at the fact that Dumbledore was aware of what was happening and yet acted as if it was nothing. And that he never said anything to Harry in the first place.

“I wasn’t planning on telling you today Harry but I suppose it’s a good thing you came too,” he continued. “I am an old man. I don’t have much time left here.”

“Sir?” asked Harry, alarmed.

“Professor Snape made an Unbreakable Vow to Narcissa Malfoy that he would protect Draco. That if Draco is unable to do his task, he would kill me instead.”

“What?” said Draco. “But he never said anything.”

“I thought Snape was with the Order!” said Harry angrily over Draco.

“He is,” said Dumbledore calmly. “But Professor Snape’s role is much more complicated. His loyalty lies with me but Voldemort thinks it lies with him. See, if we want to defeat Voldemort, we need to have someone on the inside.”

“Why would Severus vow to kill you then if he’s so loyal?” asked Draco.

“Out of a pure friendship with your mother and also because he cares about you, Draco,” said Dumbledore and smiled. “Plus, it’s easier for Voldemort to believe that he’s on his side.”

“But then, he has to kill you,” said Harry in a small voice.

“Precisely, Harry,” said Dumbledore. “I’m sorry, my boy, that I haven’t been totally honest with you. I am indeed dying. So, if my death can serve in helping to defeat Voldemort, I’ll gladly do it.”

“But you’re asking Severus to do it,” said Draco. “What about me then?”

“Would you like to join the Order, Draco?” asked Dumbledore.

“What?” asked Draco, surprised.

“You can help Severus. Be our inner man,” explained Dumbledore.

“What? No!” protested Harry. “That’s dangerous!”

“Shut up, Potter!” snarked Draco. “What about my mother?”

“The plan is as follows,” continued Dumbledore. “You will continue your task as if nothing happened. Or at least make it look like you’re doing it. Make them believe you’re friends with Harry, for example, so it looks like you’re trying to get closer to me. You cannot let the Death Eaters in. I wouldn’t want any harm to come to the students. But you’ll make it look like you’re trying. Before the school year ends, my health will be almost gone. Severus will kill me, using your wand, so it would seem as if you did it. That way you’ll have a witness that you fulfilled your task. Severus will help you leave the castle. The school year will end and no one else will come to any harm. That way the students can go home and decide if they want to come back or go into hiding. I believe you’re quite skilled at Occlumency?”

“Yes,” nodded Draco.

“Excellent! I think it’s still better if you don’t go home for Christmas, though. In case Voldemort gets suspicious. Tell your mother you need to work on your task. You can stay here at Hogwarts, obviously. Or you could come to the Order’s headquarters. That’s up to you.”

“And what about my mother?” Draco asked again.

“Your mother cannot know. Not yet at least. I think I can safely say that your mother would follow you in any path you chose. Once it’s time for you to leave Voldemort’s side, Severus will make sure you leave with your mother.”

“Alright,” nodded Draco.

“What? No!” exclaimed Harry. “I’m sorry, sir, but isn’t there a better way?”

“Harry, I’m afraid Draco cannot just leave Voldemort’s side. That would mean certain death for him and his family. And if we offer him a sanctuary there might be certain members of the Order, who don’t trust the Malfoy name, that might not trust him unless he does his part in defeating Voldemort,” explained Dumbledore calmly.

“It’s okay, Potter!” snapped Draco. “I want to do this.”

“Alright, then,” smiled Dumbledore. “You can come in, Severus,” he called and the door opened, Snape walking in.

“It’s settled then?” said Snape and narrowed his eyes when he saw Harry.

“Certainly,” replied Dumbledore. “Mr Malfoy remains under your wing, Severus. I believe I can trust you both.”

“Yes,” nodded Snape. “Are you sure you want to do this, Draco?”

“Yes,” said Draco.

“Then I believe this is over,” smiled Dumbledore. “Harry, I will let you know about our next lesson shortly. I ask you both to focus mainly on your studies. Draco, Professor Snape will let you know what to do at the right time. Now, I think it’s time you both went to bed.”

Harry wanted to say more but Draco nodded and got up. Dumbledore raised his eyebrows at Harry, so he sighed and followed after Draco.

“I’m sorry, Draco,” said Harry as they walked out of the office. “I thought it would work out differently.”

“Me too,” said Draco. “But in my mind, the outcome was more pessimistic.”

“You aren’t angry?”

“No, Potter,” said Draco. “Don’t you get it? I don’t care about this stupid war. I don’t care about the sides anymore. I just want my mother to be safe. And if this is the only way I can assure that without hurting a lot of people then I’ll gladly take it.”

“You don’t care at all?” asked Harry, a bit frustrated.

“No. I know you think I’m a bad person. I don’t blame you. I am a bad person. Always have been. But it doesn’t matter what I do. It doesn’t matter if people think what I do is good or bad. In the end, I am the same shitty person. And if trying to make my mother safe is selfish or something … I don’t care, alright.”

“Alright,” Harry sighed. “I don’t think you’re a bad person.”

“Why?” laughed Draco. “You of all people should.”

“Yeah, you’ve been a bully. You are a bully. But you’re not the only one who’s bullied someone. I just think you’re someone who’s been living the only way he could with the circumstances he had.”

“Well,” shrugged Draco. “I didn’t have to bully anyone.”

“No,” said Harry. “But you’re not a bad person. You were just unlucky.”

“You believe that, Potter?” said Draco. “After all the things I did to you? After what I called Granger? And Weasley? You know, this doesn’t change anything. I am still that person.”

“I believe it,” nodded Harry. “If you wanted to be that person, you wouldn’t accept Dumbledore’s help. You wouldn’t feel all these things you’re feeling. And to be honest, some of the things you did to me were plainly funny.”

“Hm,” Draco smiled. “I guess we don’t hate each other anymore, right?”

“I guess we don’t,” shrugged Harry. “So, friends?” he asked and held out his hand.

“Friends,” smiled Draco and shook Harry’s hand.

They stared at each other rather awkwardly for a while. Then they started walking down the corridor.

“So, I guess you’re spending Christmas with me then?” said Harry then.

“What?”

“Well, Dumbledore said you can stay at the Order’s headquarters for Christmas.”

“Yeah?”

“That’s where I live now,” said Harry. “With my godfather … and Remus Lupin.”

“Oh,” said Draco. “I wouldn’t want to impose on your family fun.”

“You wouldn’t. But if you do come, make sure to be acting nice. Hermione, Ron and the rest of the Weasleys are going to be there too.”

“And your boyfriend, I presume.”

“Yeah,” Harry blushed. “Cedric’s going to be there too.”

“I’m hardly acting nice towards you, Potter. That might be too many people for me to act nice to.”

“Well, think it over. I don’t think it would do you any good if you stayed here alone.”

“I could ask Pansy to stay,” said Draco.

“Oh yeah,” nodded Harry.

“But I think she might want to spend Christmas with Blaise.”

“Blaise Zabini?”

“Yeah, Potter. Do you know any other Blaise?” retorted Draco. “Friends leave you for their boyfriends.”

“Oh,” said Harry.

“Stop looking so pitiful, Potter. My life is nothing you should feel sorry for! You’re the one that lived in a closet! And the double meaning stands here,” Draco chuckled.

“I guess,” smiled Harry. “So … can I tell Ron and Hermione now? About all of this?”

“Hm,” shrugged Draco. “Do whatever you want. You might as well if I have to spend time with them. Maybe it will make them feel sorry for me and Granger is not going to punch me in the face again,” he chuckled.

“Okay,” smiled Harry. They walked to a fork where they had to separate. “Well, I guess, I’ll see you around, Draco.”

“Yeah,” said Draco. “Goodnight, Harry.”

Harry told Ron and Hermione everything the next day and also wrote a letter to Sirius and Remus about it. He also decided to write a letter to Cedric, instead of calling him through the mirror, because it would be a long conversation and he didn’t want to just throw it at him all at once. He wanted to give him time to think it over. _I mean there’s nothing to think over,_ Harry thought, _but he needs time to process it maybe._

“But what’s going to happen once Dumbledore is dead?” asked Hermione. “I mean, he’s the only one protecting the muggle-borns.”

“I don’t know,” shrugged Harry sadly. “I don’t know what to think of that, to be honest.”

“So, Malfoy’s in the Order, yet they don’t let us join?” said Ron. “That’s bollocks!”

“I mean he didn’t have any other choice,” said Harry. “And we’re practically in the Order anyway.”

“I guess,” shrugged Ron. “So, what now, you are like friends?”

“Yeah, I think so,” said Harry.

“Does that mean we have to be friends with him too?” asked Ron.

“I wouldn’t ask you that,” said Harry. “I just think you could be civil to each other.”

“Can do,” said Ron. “As long as he’s nice and doesn’t say anything bad about my family or Hermione.”

“Don’t worry, I told him that. I think he’s quite worried Hermione would punch him again if he wasn’t nice,” chuckled Harry.

“Oh, I don’t believe in violence,” said Hermione but laughed a bit too.

Life continued pretty much the same for the next few days. Harry and Draco didn’t really talk as they both weren’t sure how to approach this new friendship between them. Draco also, as it turned out, was swamped with detention that he got for cursing Katie Bell. Not that anyone else knew about the fact that he did it. So, to everyone else, it just seemed he was doing poorly in his classes. Which was partially true, due to his negligence of studying. Katie Bell was still in St. Mungo’s, which meant Harry had to find a new Chaser for the Gryffindor Quidditch team. He asked Dean Thomas, which made Dean very happy but Ron incredibly sour after he found him and Ginny snogging in the Quidditch team tent. Ron was also feeling quite down because of his Quidditch performance. He was nervous about it which meant that he was not doing great.

So, after Ron saying that he would resign the team if they lose the game, Harry decided to boost his confidence a bit. The morning of the match between Gryffindor and Slytherin, Harry tricked Ron into thinking he put _Felix Felicis_ in his drink. The match went great. Even though they were friends now, Draco didn’t stop teasing Harry during the game. It was nice, Harry thought. And Draco looked a bit happier in the air. Gryffindor won in the end but it was a good game. Ron did amazingly.

Hermione was angry at Harry because she believed he really added _Felix Felicis_ into Ron’s drink and therefore broke the rules. Harry explained that it was just a trick, which resulted in Ron and Hermione fighting because Ron now thought Hermione implied, he couldn’t save a Quaffle without any help. Harry just rolled his eyes and let them bicker while he walked back to the Gryffindor Tower where a celebration took place.

When Ron and Hermione walked back to the celebration, still bickering, it was in full swing. Everyone cheered for Ron and he got lost in the crowd soon. Harry went to look for him later, only to find Lavender Brown throwing herself at Ron and kissing him.

“Quite a hypocrite, isn’t he?” said Ginny next to Harry. “Gave me such a hard time for snogging Dean the other day.”

But then Ron pushed Lavender away and said something to her. He had a very apologetic look on his face. Lavender just nodded and then angrily walked away. Ron looked around and when he spotted Harry, he walked to him.

“Have you seen Hermione?” he asked. “Did she see this?”

“I don’t know,” shrugged Harry. “What happened there?”

“Well, I apologised to Lavender, I said I like someone else. She was sad and angry but I think she’s okay.”

“That someone else is Hermione, I presume?” asked Ginny, who was still standing next to Harry.

“Shut up,” said Ron. “Have you seen her?”

“I think she walked out,” said Ginny.

“God damn it, I’m such an idiot!” bellowed Ron and walked out of the common room.

“Well, it took them a while, didn’t it?” chuckled Ginny.

“Hm, where’s your boyfriend?” asked Harry.

“I don’t know. Blowing stuff up with Seamus somewhere?” she shrugged.

“Blowing, huh?” chuckled Harry.

“Oh, shut up!” Ginny punched him on the shoulder. “I know there’s something, you know. But Dean doesn’t realise, I think. And he’s fun, and kind, I like him. We’ll probably break up soon but … you know,” she shrugged.

“You don’t mind knowing that he might be in love with someone else?”

“Of course, I do,” she said. “But what can I do. I like being with him. And maybe he needs to be with me to realise he doesn’t want someone like me.”

“Huh … that’s interesting.”

“I don’t know who I want to be with, you know,” she said.

“That’s okay,” said Harry. “I didn’t know either. It’s okay not to know.”

“Yeah,” she smiled. “Thanks.”

At that moment, Ron and Hermione walked into the common room. They were both blushing and holding hands. And Harry felt like everything was slowly falling into place.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Draco: don't do some stupid heroic shit  
> Harry: no, of course not!  
> also Harry *does stupid heroic shit*
> 
> Okay this was very Draco-centric. I hope you don't mind, but ya boi is getting a better story. I know there was no Cedric at all, sorry about that but in light of that I'd like to share this lovely tiktok that depicts Cedric as I imagine him, go check it out, the creator is amazing, give them some love https://www.tiktok.com/@strawgohberry/video/6879587820671978758?lang=fr  
> I hope you liked this chapter, I have big plans for the future!  
> (Also can I just say that is very hard to write interactions between Draco and Harry and not instantly ship them?? But I want to clarify this story is not Drarry)
> 
> Next chapter is going to take a while as I said before, so be patient with me, please.  
> Thank you so much!!!  
> Stay safe <3


	25. Is your head also full of wrackspurts?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The days leading to Christmas are quite eventful. (chapter title came to me last second before posting, do not look for any secret messages behind it)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> HELLO  
> yes I am alive.  
> First of all, I am very sorry for the long delay that occurred since the last chapter. I thought I would be able to post during Christmas but university and online education honestly destroyed me, so Christmas holiday was no computer time. Today my semester officially finished so here we are! I will try to post at least once a month from now on.   
> Honestly, thank you all so much. The kudos and lovely comments kept giving me serotonin, so I really appreciate it.  
> This chapter is pretty easy breezy, so no cws here. So, enjoy the interactions! :)

When Harry went to sleep that evening, the celebrations were still in full swing. He was getting ready for bed when the mirror started buzzing. Harry quickly grabbed it and drew the curtains on his bed around himself.

“Harry!” said Cedric as soon as Harry opened the compact mirror.

“Cedric!” Harry smiled. “I was hoping to talk to you soon, did you get my letter?”

“Yes. I’ve been trying to reach you all day,” said Cedric. There was something strange about his voice that Harry just couldn’t point out.

“Are you okay?” asked Harry.

“Yes, yes,” said Cedric dismissively. “Listen, about Malfoy-.”

“Are you angry with me?” Harry interrupted him abruptly.

“No, why would I-.”

“Because of Malfoy,” said Harry.

“No, love, I’m not angry,” Cedric smiled. “I’m glad you helped him. I’m just a bit worried that’s all.”

“About what?”

“In general, I guess,” shrugged Cedric. “It’s just all getting pretty dark. The whole thing with Malfoy just made me think how serious this war is. And the thing with Dumbledore … I don’t know … I’m just worried about you.”

“I know,” said Harry. “But I’m safe now and I’m sure Dumbledore won’t leave us without a plan.”

“Yeah,” Cedric smiled but it was sort of a sad smile.

“How have you been?” asked Harry.

“I’ve been alright,” shrugged Cedric. “Do I hear some kind of a party?”

“Yeah, we won the Quidditch match today,” said Harry and narrowed his eyes. “What’s wrong, Cedric? You’re dodging the question.”

“I’m not … I’m just tired, sorry,” said Cedric.

“Talk to me,” said Harry softly.

“I just …,” he sighed. “A lot’s been going on. I’ve been so busy at work; my mom is always in St. Mungo’s now and my dad’s been so busy in the Ministry as well. I just haven’t had much time to do anything, really.”

“I’m sorry, it must be hard,” said Harry sadly.

“It’s okay. I’m sorry if I come off a bit weird. The atmosphere in the Diagon Alley has been quite gloomy too. Nothing has happened but people are afraid… and… I keep hearing things again.”

“What do you mean?” asked Harry, concerned.

“You know, ever since … the … the graveyard,” Cedric started explaining nervously, “I keep hearing murmurs and whispers.”

“I know. But I thought it was getting better. You still keep seeing the healer in St. Mungo’s, right?”

“Yes,” nodded Cedric solemnly. “It was better. But … I don’t know … there’s something strange happening. I can’t explain it … I just keep hearing these whispers … it’s like dark magic … or something. I think I’m going mad.”

“You’re not going mad, darling,” said Harry, instantly thinking back to his second year at Hogwarts and how mad he was feeling because of the whispers of the basilisk.

“Darling?” smiled Cedric.

“Eh, what can I say, you rubbed off on me,” grinned Harry.

“Yeah,” Cedric smiled but somewhat sadly. “I just feel like my head is going to explode. But I don’t want to worry you.”

“You’re allowed to worry me,” said Harry. “You have my nonsense on your plate all the time so it’s about time we reversed it a little,” he chuckled. “Er … not that this is nonsense or anything! But you know what I mean. I want to know what’s happening with you.”

“I know, I know. And I’ll do better, I promise,” Cedric sighed. “But let’s not talk about dark things, for now, hm?” he smiled. “You won the Quidditch match, huh?”

“Yes,” said Harry proudly. “Ron did great! In fact, he did so great that Lavender Brown snogged him!”

“Oh, what about Hermione?”

“I think they talked it out. Ron didn’t snog Lavender back and told her he’s not interested and then he went to look for Hermione. It seems they finally figured it out.”

“Thank Merlin!” laughed Cedric. “It took them a while. Who knew all it took was for Lavender Brown to snog him?”

“Yeah, if only we knew sooner,” said Harry teasingly.

“If only,” repeated Cedric. “So, what else is happening?”

“I have to find a date for Slughorn’s Christmas party,” Harry rolled his eyes. “I wanted to take you but it seems like I can’t take anyone outside the castle. And I have to figure something out because Romilda Vane keeps giving me drinks and food that is probably jinxed with love potion.”

“Ah, the hard life of the Chosen One,” chuckled Cedric. “Can’t you ask Ginny?”

“She’s with Dean. So, I reckon she’ll go with him.”

“Oh yeah. Hm. What about Cho?”

“I haven’t really talked to Cho much this year. And I think she’s still with Roger Davies. I think it might be a bit weird.”

“Yeah, she is, we write to each other. I’m sure it would be fine but I understand,” said Cedric and he paused to think for a bit. “What about Luna? You like her, right? She’s nice and fun. Bit strange. But surely would go with you as a friend.”

“Luna!” Harry lit up. “That’s a great idea, Cedric! I won’t feel awkward at all around Luna and I’ll have fun. I’ll ask her tomorrow. Thank you!”

“No problem. What else are boyfriends for than to find you a date,” Cedric chuckled.

“Oh, you know I’d love it if you could come,” said Harry.

“I know, I’m just teasing you,” Cedric smiled. “So, Draco Malfoy is spending Christmas at the Grimmauld Place this year?”

“Seems like it,” shrugged Harry. “I hope it will be okay. I told him to be nice to everyone. I think the Weasleys will be there for Christmas too. Hermione is coming on the 28th and staying until the end of the holidays. And you’ll be there too, right?”

“Of course! I talked to my parents and we all will be staying for Christmas. They talked to Sirius and Remus already.”

“Brilliant!” Harry grinned. “Sirius will be in his spirit with so many people under the roof.”

“Yes, I’m sure,” smiled Cedric. “Although, there is a full moon on Christmas Eve, if I’m not mistaken, so I hope Remus won’t mind the full house.”

“Hm, I didn’t realise,” said Harry. “I hope he’ll be okay. I’ll ask.”

“Alright, well, it’s getting rather late, love, and I have work tomorrow.”

“Of course,” nodded Harry. “I suppose, I’ll see you soon then,” he smiled.

“Quite soon, yes!” said Cedric kindly. “Enjoy your Christmas party and be safe, alright?”

“Thank you,” said Harry. “You too, be careful. I’m rather fond of you so I wouldn’t like anything to happen to you.”

“Is that so?” smirked Cedric. “As it happens, I’m rather fond of you too.”

With that, they said goodnight and Harry got ready to go to bed. The party in the common room was ending and everyone was slowly gathering to go to sleep. Ron and the other boys came to the dormitory soon enough. Harry was already in his bed, reading the Potions Handbook again.

“Not this bloody thing again,” said Ron.

“Why is everyone against me reading all of the sudden?” asked Harry.

“It’s just this book. You’re obsessed with it,” shrugged Ron. “Not that I enjoy you reading that much in general because then I feel like you’re catching up to Hermione and I can never do that even if I tried.”

“No one can catch up to Hermione,” said Harry.

“Of course not. She’s brilliant!” grinned Ron. “But, you know, what I mean … it’s just I’m the dumb friend of the group.”

“Well, that’s a really dumb thing to say.”

“See? Not that I don’t want you to read or anything.”

“I didn’t mean it that you’re dumb, Ron,” sighed Harry and put the Potions Handbook away. “Cleverness is not measured in books, you know. But don’t tell Hermione I said that.”

“I won’t,” smiled Ron. “I just sometimes feel a bit inferior, that’s all.”

“I know, I noticed,” said Harry. “I don’t want to make you feel that way.”

“It’s okay, it’s not your fault. It’s just what it is, sometimes, you know.”

“Well, I’ll try to spend more time with you than with the Potions Handbook, alright?”

“Deal,” Ron nodded and climbed into his bed.

“One would think that it’s you guys dating and not Harry and Cedric,” smirked Seamus, who was also getting ready to bed.

Ron let out a very embarrassing laugh and threw a pillow at Seamus. Harry knew that Ron cared very deeply about friendships and to an outsider that sometimes seemed strange. He also knew that it annoyed Ron a little bit that sometimes people had these comments like Seamus had. It didn’t bother Ron, Harry knew that. Ron just didn’t want to feel that he couldn’t express friendships the way he wanted to.

Seamus threw the pillow back at Ron and soon they were just throwing it back and forth, laughing. Harry, laughing to himself, looked around the dorm at the other boys. Neville was carefully taking care of the cactus he had on his bedside drawer and seemed like he was not really paying attention to what was happening in the dorm. Or rather, pretended that he was not paying attention, probably for the fear that a pillow would hit his precious cactus. Dean, on the other hand, seemed like he really was somewhere else with his thoughts. He was staring on his bed, holding a pyjama shirt in his hands, as if he just forgot what he was about to do. Harry noticed it and instantly thought about the conversation he had with Ginny just before he climbed up the dorm.

“You’re alright there, Dean?” Harry asked, concerned.

“Huh?” Dean blinked.

“You seem a bit off,” said Harry and at that Ron and Seamus stopped throwing the pillow and also looked at Dean.

Harry noticed that Seamus suddenly didn’t look so cheerful as before. He looked almost embarrassed for some reason.

“I’m alright,” said Dean dismissively and took his pyjamas and disappeared in the bathroom.

“He’s just tired, probably,” muttered Seamus, his mood suddenly very grim. “I’m actually really tired too. So, goodnight, lads,” he said as he climbed into his bed and drew his curtains closed.

Harry and Ron exchanged a look. Neville seemed to be glad that the pillow fight was over and that there was no immediate danger for his cactus. Harry thought that Neville, although he was always very quiet, seemed rather distant lately.

“How’s that cactus doing, Neville?” Harry asked.

“Huh?” Neville looked at him, surprised. “He’s doing quite well,” he smiled. “I’ve even managed to multiply it!” he showed Harry a smaller cactus that was hidden behind the bigger one. “I’m trying to figure out how I can send the smaller one to Hannah, she mentioned that she wanted this one for a while, but it’s quite a rare plant.”

“Hannah Abbott?” asked Harry, surprised. “Are you talking to her?”

Hannah Abbott was pulled out of Herbology at the beginning of the year because there was an incident. Her mother was killed by the Death Eaters. They haven’t seen Hannah since. Harry only knew Hannah from Dumbledore’s Army but never really spoken to her outside of their sessions. He wasn’t aware that Neville was close to her. But he supposed it made sense since they both took advanced Herbology.

“We write to each other sometimes,” said Neville a bit sheepishly. “I wanted to know how she was holding up after her mom died. It seems like she really needed someone to talk to. I’ve been sending her my notes so she could at least study. But it seems she won’t be returning this year.”

Harry felt a wave of warmth when he heard Neville speaking. Of course, he of all people would be there for Hannah. Although Harry didn’t have parents, he actually didn’t know what it felt like to lose them. But Neville knew, in a way. Neville had his parents still but it was as if he hadn’t had them. Which was probably even harder.

“That’s sweet of you, Neville,” smiled Harry. “If she needs any notes from classes you’re not taking, I’m sure Hermione would let you duplicate hers.”

“Yes, I’ll ask her in my next letter,” nodded Neville. “Thanks, Harry,” he smiled and climbed into his bed.

Harry turned back to Ron, who was still very much awake. Dean returned from the bathroom and immediately climbed into his bed and drew the curtains closed without saying a word.

“Strange,” whispered Harry.

“Yeah,” nodded Ron.

“So … you and Hermione?” smirked Harry. “Care to share?” he moved to sit down on Ron’s bed and kept his voice low, so he wouldn’t disturb the others.

“I …,” Ron stammered, his ears turning red. “Well … I ran out to look for her after … er … Lavender kissed me. I found her in one of the classrooms, she was sitting there and around her were flying these little birds that she had conjured and she was … she was crying.”

“Oh, really?”

“At least I think she was … she was trying to cover it up when I walked in and she said she was just practising some spells. But her eyes were obviously red. I felt horrible.”

“Figured it out, did you?”

“Yeah … I mean I just thought … I don’t know what I thought, actually. And why the bloody hell didn’t I do something about it sooner. I just made her cry this way, I’m such a dimwit, honestly.”

“So … what did you do?” asked Harry to which Ron smiled and blushed even more.

“I said the birds were impressive and she actually sent them on me, so they all exploded on me,” he chuckled. “Bloody deserved that, I reckon. Then I said I was there to apologize and she said that she wasn’t interested and that I shouldn’t keep Lavender waiting. So, I told her that I didn’t want to be with Lavender, that she kissed me and that I pushed her away and told her that I liked someone else.”

“What did she say then?” asked Harry with a teasing smile.

“She said: ‘oh, and whoever that might be? Didn’t come here for dating advice from me, I hope’,” he chuckled. “So, I said that I didn’t come there for that, that I came to apologize for kissing Lavender because the only person I ever wanted to kiss was her.”

“Nice one,” grinned Harry. “How did she react?”

“She said ‘well, that’s a big fat lie, I remember you wanting to kiss Fleur quite vividly’,” he laughed. “I said that she was right but that I didn’t really know Fleur and I was only confused back then.”

“Yeah, you would probably snog Victor Krum too if you could back then,” said Harry.

“Maybe,” shrugged Ron. “So, I said that it was different with Hermione, because she’s first of all one of my best friends, so I know her and that it is real, what I’m feeling.”

“Didn’t know you were such a smooth talker, Mr Weasley,” smirked Harry. “So, did you kiss her then?”

“I waited for her to say something first because she always has something to say. But she just gave me this smile … you know … the one that says that she knows you’re an utter fool and an idiot but she has already forgiven you.”

“Oh … you mean that smile she only gives to you.”

“Does she?”

“Yes, you idiot,” said Harry and rolled his eyes.

“Alright,” Ron blushed. “So, then I kissed her.”

“Thank Merlin! Finally!” cheered Harry. “No more me being stuck in your unresolved romantic tension!”

“Oh, so sorry, Chosen One, to bother you with our feelings,” teased Ron. “You know, you weren’t any better with Cedric.”

“I know, I know, only teasing you,” chuckled Harry and moved back to his own bed. “Good to hear that it went well.”

“Yeah,” smiled Ron dreamily and yawned. “Well, goodnight, then.”

“Goodnight!” mumbled Harry as he was slowly falling into a dreamless sleep.

Although Harry was very glad that Ron and Hermione finally got their act together, the next day was amusing torture for him. When they got up in the morning and got ready to go to the Great Hall for breakfast, Ron awkwardly stayed in the common room because he insisted to wait on Hermione and walk with her. It was very sweet, in Harry’s opinion, but he could see in Ron’s eyes that the decision to be a gentleman was very hard for him when he was deciding between Hermione and food. Harry started walking to the Great Hall on his own when Ginny caught up to him.

“Alright, Harry?” she smiled. “Enjoying being the official third wheel now?”

“Very funny,” replied Harry. “You’re not waiting on Dean?”

“No, he was a bit odd last night, to be honest. I’m going to wait and see what his mood is. Plus, I’m quite hungry. He can find his way to the Great Hall himself,” she said.

“Yes, I noticed he was acting a bit weird when he got to the dorm last night,” said Harry but decided not to comment on it further. It was probably for the best not to mention Seamus’s sudden mood change either.

They walked to the Great Hall together. It was evident that Christmas was already approaching as slight snow was falling outside and, in the hallways, several mistletoes were hanging from the ceilings. They sat down at the Gryffindor table, where Ginny joined some of the girls in her year and Harry was left alone. He poured himself a cup of tea and buttered a piece of toast when Hedwig flew in with a letter. It was from Sirius and Remus.

_Dear Harry_

_Thank you for updating us on the whole Malfoy situation. You’ll be pleased to know that Dumbledore spoke to us as well. It seems that Draco will indeed spend Christmas at Grimmauld Place and Dumbledore wanted to make sure that we understand the situation and no one feels threatened by Draco’s presence. I can assure you that Kreacher, who was sent from Hogwarts by Dumbledore the other day, will probably be the most welcoming of Draco as he seems to think his Slytherin ass is shitting gold._

_GODDAMMIT, SIRIUS, YOU CANNOT JUST SAY STUFF LIKE THIS! Sorry, Harry, about your godfather, he seems to forget that he is a thirty-seven-year-old man and that he really shouldn’t bully a sixteen-year-olds._

_…. you didn’t have to say it like that, Moony…_

_Anyway, you already probably know that Christmas at Grimmauld Place will definitely be very busy. The Weasleys and the Diggorys are all spending the holidays here. Hermione will arrive after Christmas as well, so the house will be quite packed. Sirius is, of course, immensely excited to be in the centre of attention again. I still hope that even in this havoc, we can find a peaceful family moment, just the three of us. We have something to tell you._

_Oh, you sap, Moony. Anyway, Harry, Remus dared to invite Snivellus for Christmas as well, can you imagine? Luckily, he declined the offer and said he was too busy to come but he might stop by at some point to check on Draco. Ugh._

_I invited him so that Draco feels like he has someone here. It’s not going to be the easiest holiday for him, I can imagine. And also, that grudge on Snape you have is getting old. I know he isn’t the nicest but still … he doesn’t deserve to be alone on Christmas._

_Alright, alright! Well, pup, as you can see, we’re quite excited about the holidays. It’s sad to admit, but we are already old men, and our only joy is to see our younglings together (Although I am still young in spirit, Remus’s been an old man since I can remember him). Let us know any updates! Please, tell me even the boring stuff, when Remus is off on missions, I am terribly bored._

_Stay safe, cub, ~~study hard~~ try to study sometimes._

_Love,_

_Padfoot and Moony._

Harry finished the letter chuckling to himself and feeling warm. He gave Hedwig a small piece of ham as a treat and petted her. He finished his tea and since Ron and Hermione were still nowhere to be seen, which Harry didn’t want to think about in too much detail, he decided to write a reply straightforward.

_Dear dogfather and step-dogfather,_

_I am glad that Dumbledore talked to you already about the Malfoy situation and that you are still excited about Christmas. Honestly, Draco was almost nice when I was talking to him and he promised not to cause any havoc during Christmas. So, I expect him to act civil towards everyone._

_I also already talked to Cedric, so I know he and his family are staying over. Of course, that makes me very excited. He mentioned, however, that the full moon is on the 24 th. Is it okay with you, Remus? I don’t want you to feel obligated to tolerate so many people when you will be exhausted from it. Please, let me know if I can help in any way._

_As for life here, we won the Quidditch match yesterday. Ron was amazing! In fact, Lavender Brown snogged him. Which made Hermione upset, obviously. But Ron finally got a grip and after telling Lavender he wasn’t interested; he proclaimed his true love to Hermione and now they can live happily ever after._

_If you’re interested in more Hogwarts gossip, I can tell you only a little. Ginny and Dean seem to be a bit on edge. I’m not really sure I understand it very well. Neville, from what I learnt last night, is sending letters to Hannah Abbott. You can maybe remember; her mom was killed by Death Eaters at the beginning of the school year. We haven’t seen her since. It’s good to know that someone is keeping in touch with her. Have you heard anything about the Abbotts?_

_Other than that, nothing else is happening. I am, of course, studying. In Hermione’s words, I am not studying enough, but in Ron’s point of view, I am studying too much. So, I’d say I’m studying just the right amount. Oh, and there will be Slughorn’s Christmas party. I’m thinking of asking Luna to go with me._

_I am incredibly excited for Christmas and I do hope we have time for ourselves, just the three of us. Is it good news or bad news that you want to tell me? I’d like to know at least that much._

_Stay safe!_

_Love,_

_Harry._

Harry searched his bag for an envelope and once he found one, he put the piece of parchment inside. Then he handed the letter to Hedwig, gave her another small piece of ham and with that she flew away. At some point, when Harry was writing, Dean came to the Great Hall and sat next to Ginny. They seemed to be on good terms as Dean was telling her something excitedly. Opposite of them was sitting Seamus, who looked rather glum and was talking to Neville. Just then, Ron and Hermione finally entered the Great Hall and sat down next to Harry.

“Took you a while,” Harry chuckled.

“We had to stop in the library,” Ron rolled his eyes ad Harry knew he was telling the truth. “Hermione desperately needed to check out a book.”

“Well, I need it for my Ancient Runes homework,” said Hermione. “Plus, it was on the way,” she said as she buttered a toast and put it on Harry’s plate next to the half-eaten one.

Harry was used to this. Even though he really was eating quite well, Hermione still put additional food on his plate, it was a habit for her. He didn’t comment on it anymore, if anything, he found it quite sweet. Although, sometimes it got a bit annoying.

Ron immediately started putting as much food on his plate as he could while Harry told them about his conversation with Cedric last night and the letter from Sirius and Remus. Then, Harry’s eyes flickered to the Slytherin table. Draco Malfoy was sitting there, next to Pansy Parkinson. She was talking to Blaise Zabini, who was sitting on the other side of her, while Draco seemed to be reading a book. There was no indication of his emotions in his face and Harry wondered if anything changed since the last time they spoke together. Then, Draco looked at him. His face was still very stoic. There was no indication of a smile, nor any anger. Then, he wrote something down on a piece of paper, which he folded into a paper airplane. He flicked his wand over it and the paper airplane flew up and landed in front of Harry. Harry quickly unfolded it.

_Staring will only make your eyesight worse, Scarhead. See you in the library before lunch._

Harry smirked and looked back at Draco, who didn’t look up from his book again. It was getting already quite late, so Ron quickly stuffed his face as much as he could as they got up and hurried to Defence Against the Dark Arts. Hermione commented on Ron being disgusting, to which he replied something incoherent as his mouth was still full of food. Harry almost thought that there was no change in their relationship since the night before.

Snape’s attitude towards Harry didn’t change even after the recent events with Draco. Harry wasn’t really surprised. He supposed he would truly think Snape was under _Imperius_ or someone was impersonating him if his attitude would even slightly change. The only time he actually saw Snape smile was when Tonks changed into him after one of the Order’s meetings during the summer. She and Sirius both got very drunk that night and started impersonating other people. Tonks, obviously, had the advantage of being able to change her whole appearance, but to Sirius’s credit, he managed to perfectly mimic Professor McGonagall. He even put on some old dress he found in the house. That memory made Harry smile as he was leaving the DADA classroom.

“Right, I’m off to Ancient Runes,” said Hermione as she gave Ron a quick peck on the cheek. “See you at lunch.”

Ron blushed as Hermione dashed off. He and Harry had a free period before lunch, so they headed off to the library, where Harry was supposed to meet with Draco. There weren’t that many people at this time, since most of them were in classes. Ron and Harry found a table in the back by the window and took out their homework. Draco was nowhere to be seen yet.

“What do you reckon he wants?” asked Ron as he read through his Charms notes.

“Malfoy? I’m not sure,” shrugged Harry. “But we were supposed to slowly become friends after all. It’s supposed to be his cover for Voldemort. To make it seem like he is tricking us.”

“I see,” nodded Ron. “Don’t you think that will backfire, though?”

“What do you mean?”

“Well, if You-Know-Who really believes that he is being all chummy with us to get out information or whatnot, don’t you think he will ask that information? And if Malfoy won’t give it up, he’ll do something to him?”

“I guess that’s a possibility too,” said Harry gloomily. “Maybe this is a bad idea.”

“What is a bad idea, Potter?” said a sharp voice behind him.

Harry turned and was face to face with Draco’s stone expression. Draco put his bag down and sat on the chair next to Harry.

“Weasley,” he nodded towards Ron and started pulling out his homework. Ron obviously didn’t know how to act, so he was just embarrassingly staring at Malfoy.

“Er … we were just talking that …,” started Harry nervously.

“I wonder how you two managed to talk when you can’t get out a coherent sentence to save your life, Potter,” said Draco. “It’s good that the Dark Lord is not challenging you to a debating duel.”

“Don’t be a prat, Malfoy,” Ron jumped to Harry’s defence, although he did chuckle a little bit.

“We were just discussing that maybe you being friendly with us might backfire,” explained Harry at last.

“You might have noticed, Potter, that I’m not being very friendly. If this was your idea of friendly then I do honestly fear for any toxic relationships you have found yourself in, or will in the future.”

“Can this git say something else than insults for a minute?” asked Ron.

“He was being friendly to me before. Maybe you intimidate him, Ron,” shrugged Harry and Ron chuckled.

“Don’t flatter yourself. Weasleys do not intimidate me,” shot Draco. “But anyway, it’s in Dumbledore’s plan. Severus talked to me about this already. If the Dark Lord asks for some information, I have a list of things that I can tell him that will deceive him. If he wants to look inside my mind, I am quite skilled in Occlumency, so I can alter my memories.”

“But he’s not a fool. Don’t you think he will realize it eventually?” asked Harry, concerned.

“Yes, but hopefully by that time there will already be an escape plan in effect,” shrugged Draco.

Harry and Ron exchanged looks.

“Anyway, this is not why I wanted to meet,” continued Draco. “Granger is not coming?”

“No, she has Ancient Runes,” said Ron.

“Ah, I see. I suppose I can talk to her later.”

“What do you want with her?” asked Ron.

“The same I want with you, Weasley,” said Draco. “Look, I think I can safely say that Potter and I are already on the friendly page. I’m not saying we’re best pals now but I guess we’ve moved on from the past. So, I thought it would be for the best, since we’re supposed to be friends and all, if I apologized to you, Weasley.”

“Apologized to me?” said Ron in disbelief.

“Yes, Weasley. That’s when one person says they’re sorry for something bad they did to the other person.”

“I know what that is, Malfoy. But one does not usually apologize with this kind of attitude,” snapped Ron.

“Alright. Well, I know this might feel like I’m doing it simply because I’m basically a dead man walking. And I’m not going to lie, it is partially true. However, I want to say that all these things that I have said to you in the past were usually out of jealousy.”

“Jealousy?” repeated Ron, confused.

“Yes, Weasley. I am a quite proud person, so it’s hard to admit. I’ve been brought up to believe that I’m better than most people because of my blood, my heritage and my money. And I thought this is why The Boy Who Lived would immediately be my friend. But he wasn’t. He was your friend. And I didn’t understand because you had nothing. My father always put it in my head that your family was a bunch of blood traitors that had more children than they could feed.”

“Alright, Malfoy, this is not sounding good either,” said Ron.

“Let me finish!” snarled Draco. “I believed my father when I was a child. I didn’t know any better, I thought he was right in everything. But then I saw you and your family. You were poor, of course, but that wasn’t a bad thing. You always had good friends and the rest of your family looked out for you. You were always very kind. I was jealous of that. The only thing I knew from my family were these stupid principles. The only one who showed me any love or kindness was my mother and my father forbid her when I was getting older, in fear that she would coddle me,” he sighed. “So, I’m not trying to get pity with this story, I’m just trying to make you understand. Of course, it doesn’t excuse anything but I just want you to know that all those things I did out of jealousy, to impress my father, or to simply get finally noticed by someone. I know better now, it took me a while and a tattoo on my forearm to get here, but better late than never. So, I’m sorry Weasley. We don’t have to be friends but I just wanted to clear the air.”

Harry and Ron were quiet for a while. Draco’s expression throughout the monologue didn’t change, as if the story didn’t bring up any emotions in him.

“Wow,” said Ron eventually. “That was heavy, Malfoy. Wasn’t prepared for that today, to tell you the truth.”

It was quiet again and the tension was hanging over them like a dark cloud. Ron was tapping his feet nervously under the table. Harry wanted to say something to break the tension but didn’t know what. Eventually, Ron broke it himself.

“You thought I was kind and were jealous of me?” he smirked. “Didn’t know you had a crush on me, Malfoy.”

“What? No-,” Malfoy cried out, horrified.

“Sorry to break it to you but I am a taken man,” shrugged Ron and Harry couldn’t hold his laughter anymore. “But I am not cold-hearted, you see, so I guess we can try to be friends.”

“As if I would ever fancy a Weasley,” said Draco, disgusted. “But, thank you. For accepting my apology.”

“Well, it is not fully accepted until you apologize to Hermione as well. And you never call her any slur again,” said Ron seriously.

“Of course,” nodded Draco. “But just so you know, Weasley, I do not believe in that blood supremacy idiocy anymore. The only reason I used to believe it was because it made me feel special in some way.”

“Yes, yes, we heard your sappy story, Malfoy,” said Ron. “No need to try redeeming yourself further.”

“Alright,” nodded Draco and Harry could swear he saw a hint of a smile on his face. “Also, if I’m friends with you now, Pansy might join in from time to time. But if she does, do not tell her anything about Dumbledore’s plan. She knows something is going on but I refuse to tell her any details. It is not safe for her to know.”

“Alright,” nodded Harry. “As long as she’s acting nice.”

“So, let me ask,” said Ron. “Who are you actually friends with from Slytherin?”

“Pansy,” said Draco. “Blaise can be nice too, but our families were never really friendly with each other. My family didn’t support the line of husbands Blaise’s mother had. So, I wasn’t allowed to be friends with him, really. We only started talking recently since he and Pansy are going out. Crabbe and Goyle used to be my friends when we were little. But they’ve been more friends with each other than with me. I always helped them with homework and stuff but they blindly follow their parents. They share one brain cell, honestly, and there’s no way to help them. And Theo …,” Draco went quiet.

“Theodore Nott?” asked Ron.

“Yes, erm …,” coughed Draco. “He and I were friends since we were little as well. Our families were always rather close. He is in quite a similar situation as I am. His prejudiced family is forcing their views on him that he doesn’t quite share. Luckily, he’s no use for the Dark Lord now, so there is no tattoo disfiguring his skin. I can’t really endanger him, though, with this whole thing.”

“I see,” nodded Harry.

They went back to doing their homework. Harry was wondering how many Slytherins, or any other students really, were in similar positions. The dangerous opinions of their families forced on them, and them unable to really break out of it, even if they wanted to. It made Harry rather sad.

It was soon time for lunch, so they left the library. Draco promised to talk to Hermione after their Potions class later that day and with that, he went to join Pansy at the Slytherin table. Ron and Harry told Hermione everything over lunch.

“Well, it makes sense, doesn’t it,” she said as she put more potatoes on Harry’s plate. “If you’re not shown any other way to behave and you are surrounded just with this stereotype, it’s hard to break free. I wonder how many others struggle like this.”

“I was thinking that as well,” said Harry and put some of his potatoes on Ron’s plate when Hermione wasn’t looking.

“He says he wants to talk to you too,” said Ron with his mouth full. “And apologize properly. After Potions.”

“That’s nice,” nodded Hermione, although she didn’t seem too thrilled.

“I’ll stay with you to make sure his apology his good enough,” said Ron.

“I think I can assess that myself, Ronald,” said Hermione sternly. “But I’ll tell you everything, don’t worry,” she smiled.

After lunch, they retreated for Potions. Slughorn didn’t forget to casually remind Harry of his Christmas party and stress how he sincerely hopes Harry will make it. Harry had to assure him that he will try his best and that he even has someone in mind already as his date. That made Slughorn happy enough and he didn’t pester Harry about it for the rest of the class. After the class, Hermione was approached by Malfoy in the corridor, as expected. Harry and Ron, following Hermione’s strict orders, went back to the common room. Ron wanted to wait with Hermione and hear what Malfoy had to say but Hermione made him leave. So, he and Harry played some wizarding chess until Hermione came to the common room and sat next to Ron on the sofa.

“So?” asked Ron. “How was it?”

“It was quite nice actually,” said Hermione. “He explained his past behaviour and then he apologized. He assured me that he doesn’t believe in any of his father’s beliefs anymore and that he always admired my wit, actually.”

“Really? So, he had a crush on you too?” chuckled Ron.

“What?” asked Hermione, confused.

“Well, he said something to me like he always found me very kind and that he was jealous of me. So, I made a joke that he had a crush on me,” explained Ron.

“Oh. No, nothing immature like that, Ronald. After he told me all this, I just said that as long as he behaves better now, I’m not going to hold the past against him.”

“I hope you didn’t apologize for punching him,” said Harry.

“No, he deserved that,” chuckled Hermione. “Afterwards, we actually talked about Arithmancy. We exchanged some notes. It was nice to have someone to talk about it.”

“Oh, I forgot that Malfoy is actually a bit smart,” moaned Ron. “This is going to be horrible.”

“Why?” laughed Hermione.

“Well, imagine Christmas. You and Cedric are already team books and quills. Harry is slowly getting lured into it too. Now, you’ll have Malfoy as well. What am I going to do?” Ron sighed dramatically.

“Hm, maybe it’s the Universe telling you to grab a book and quill as well,” smiled Hermione and kissed the tip of Ron’s nose, which made Ron blush even behind his ears.

The rest of the week was passing quite normally. It was constantly snowing outside, so whenever there was a free period, a lot of students gathered in the courtyard for snowball fights. During those, Harry would immediately think of Fred and George and realise how much he actually missed the twins and their shenanigans in the castle. Draco would sit with them occasionally in the library or exchange a few words with them in the corridor. Sometimes, he was with Pansy, who was actually friendly enough towards them. It seemed that Pansy was quite interested in Muggle studies but couldn’t take it because of her parents, so she formed a slight alliance with Hermione, who would tell her the most interesting things about muggles. Some other Gryffindors commented on it, surprised that Harry, Ron and Hermione were on speaking terms, or even friendly, with Draco and Pansy. Harry always said that it was about time people started growing up and that Draco and Pansy weren’t as bad as they used to be. Harry noticed that Dean and Ginny seemed to be getting on rather well again. On the other hand, Dean and Seamus seemed to avoid each other like the plague. Seamus was still acting as usual in the dorm; he was being quite loud and he always tried to make them all laugh. But Harry could see something was bothering him. Outside of their dorm, Seamus would be hanging out with Neville a lot, or with Lavender and Parvati. Seamus wasn’t that type of person who really talked about what was bothering him and Harry wasn’t very good at reaching to people. He supposed that even if he tried to ask Seamus what was going on, it wouldn’t really be appreciated. Harry spoke to Cedric on the mirror again during one of his free evenings. He told him about everything that happened with Draco and what he talked about with Sirius and Remus in their correspondence. They didn’t speak long as Cedric was very tired and had to work the next day. Harry was worried about him. Even though Cedric assured him he would let him know anything that happened, he wasn’t quite sure about that. And there was just something off about him. He seemed less cheerful than usual. There were dark circles under his eyes and he looked thinner. When Harry tried to ask, however, Cedric would just say the same thing: that he was tired from work. It worried Harry greatly but he didn’t know what to do. The Christmas holiday couldn’t come sooner. He could finally speak to Cedric in person and he was sure the boy would give him some answers then. The week was at its end rather soon and Harry also by the end of it received another letter from Sirius and Remus.

_Dear Harry,_

_Please stop calling Sirius your dogfather, he hasn’t stopped laughing since and I cannot bear it anymore. Also, I would rather if you didn’t call me step-dogfather because I am seriously questioning my association with Sirius._

_Stop being so dramatic, Moony. I only ate a bit of chocolate._

_YOU ATE THE LAST CHOCOLATE THAT WAS IN THE HOUSE, SIRIUS. And it was dark chocolate, that’s my favourite._

_Well, Harry, while Moony moans over a piece of chocolate, let me tell you that the news we want to share with you is rather good. However, I also have bad news, which caused me to eat that last piece of chocolate. See, it was out of spite. Yes, the full moon is on the 24 th and I was also worried about this many people in the house and if Remus will be alright. Well, let me tell you what a genius idea my beloved other half had._

_It was not my idea, Sirius!_

_Alright, it might have been Dumbledore’s idea but our dear Moony agreed and thought that this idea made perfect sense. See, Remus has agreed to spend the full moon and the days following it with a werewolf pack just outside of London. Because this way maybe he can persuade them to join Dumbledore’s side. It worked so well so far, right, so why not take the man from his family on Christmas._

_Sirius! I will be back on Christmas Day, Merlin! Harry, I will explain this when you get here. Sirius is just acting like he was some kind of wife waiting for her husband to return from war._

_THAT IS EXACTLY WHAT IS HAPPENING, REMUS! Anyway, Harry, thank you for the updates on the Hogwarts life. It is good to hear about some normal stuff for once. We’ll see you very soon and until then please keep taking care of yourself._

_Love,_

_Pads and Moony._

Harry found the letter quite amusing, although he couldn’t keep himself from being worried about Remus. But he supposed that Christmas was approaching soon and he would have a chance to talk to him about it in person.

The next week passed in quite a blur and soon enough, it was the day of Slughorn’s Christmas party. Harry completely forgot to catch Luna anywhere before the actual date, so he hoped she wouldn’t mind him asking the last minute. He caught up with her after breakfast that day.

“Hi, Luna!”

“Hello, Harry,” she said in a dream-like voice and smiled kindly at him. She was wearing very strange colourful glasses.

“So, had a good term so far?” he asked.

“Oh, it’s been all right,” said Luna. “A bit lonely without the DA. Ginny’s been nice, though. She stopped two boys in our Transfiguration class calling me “Loony” the other day.”

“That’s nice of her,” smiled Harry. “I’m glad you’re friends.”

“I suppose we are. Friends,” she smiled and the word kind of rolled strangely but sweetly on her tongue.

“I wanted to ask you something, Luna.”

“Well, yes, I suppose you did come here with a purpose,” she said.

“Yes. But … er … I actually wanted to talk to you a long time ago. I do kind of miss talking to you,” he admitted.

“I missed talking to you as well, Harry. I hope the wrackspurts are not bothering you too much.”

“The what?”

“The wrackspurts. Your head’s full of them,” she said as if it was obvious.

“Well, I’m fine. But would you like to come to Slughorn’s party with me tonight?”

“Slughorn’s party? With you?”

“Yeah,” said Harry. “We’re supposed to bring guests, so I thought you might like … I mean, just as friends, you know. But if you don’t want to …”

“Oh, no, I’d love to go with you as friends!” said Luna, beaming behind her glasses. “Nobody’s ever asked me to as party before as a friend!”

“Brilliant!” smiled Harry. “So, I’ll meet you at the Entrance Hall at eight o’clock, then.”

When he arrived in the Entrance Hall at eight o’clock that night, he found an unusually large number of girls lurking there, all of whom seemed to be staring at him resentfully as he approached Luna. She was wearing a set of spangled silver robes that were attracting a certain amount of giggling from the onlookers, but otherwise, she looked quite nice.

The party itself wasn’t that bad as Harry expected it to be. Slughorn, of course, had to introduce Harry to all these important people that he invited to the party. Harry wasn’t particularly interested in talking to any of them as they were all rather snobbish. He managed to break free soon and he and Luna joined Hermione and Ron. They occasionally talked to some of the other professors that came to the party, Luna was particularly interested in talking to Professor Trelawney. On the whole, it was quite a nice evening and Harry was glad that he asked Luna because talking to her was easy, and he actually enjoyed the odd looks some people gave him when they saw him with her.

The next day was the start of the Christmas holidays. Harry, Ron and Hermione got ready to leave. As they left their trunks downstairs and went for breakfast, Harry was stopped by Professor McGonagall.

“Potter,” she said. “Professor Dumbledore thinks it would be safer for you to travel by Floo from his office. You and Mr Malfoy are to take your trunks and see him after breakfast.”

“Alright,” nodded Harry. “Thank you, Professor.”

“That makes sense,” said Hermione. “We’ll miss you on the train, though.”

“Well, at least he’ll be there faster,” said Ron.

“Happy Christmas, Harry,” said Hermione as they were parting ways. She hugged him tightly. “I’ll see you on the 28th, alright?”

“Sure, Hermione. Enjoy it with your parents and be safe,” said Harry.

“I’ll see you tonight, mate. My parents are picking me and Ginny up from the train station and we’ll go straight there,” said Ron but hugged Harry nevertheless.

Harry nodded. He took his trunk and walked over to Dumbledore’s office. He felt a bit bittersweet about not taking the train but he supposed it was the best solution. Plus, it will give Draco time to adjust to Grimmauld place before it was swamped with the others. And he would also have time to talk to Sirius and Remus. Draco was already waiting with his trunk outside of Dumbledore’s office.

“Potter,” he nodded, once Harry arrived.

“You can call me Harry, we’ve talked about this, Draco.”

“I know. It just feels more natural like this,” shrugged Draco. “Let’s go then.”

“Are you nervous?” asked Harry as they stepped on the stairs.

“No,” said Draco sternly. “Maybe, a little,” he whispered.

“Don’t worry. My godfather and Remus assured me it will be alright. They’re looking forward to it.”

“Tell me again, Potter. Who is your godfather? You never mentioned.”

“Er … it’s Sirius Black,” said Harry sheepishly.

“Sirius Black?” squeaked Draco. “So, I am going to spend my Christmas with a murderer, a werewolf and the Chosen One?”

“I suppose,” shrugged Harry. “But he’s not a murderer. It was a mistake. I can tell you about it later. Or he can. He’s your relative too, after all.”

“Sweet Salazar,” sighed Draco as they stepped into Dumbledore’s office.

“Mr Malfoy,” smiled Dumbledore kindly. “Harry. I thought it would be for the best if the two of you travelled together by Floo. I believe you told your parents you’re staying at school, Mr Malfoy?”

“Yes, Headmaster,” nodded Draco.

“That’s settled then,” said Dumbledore and with a flick of his wand made their trunks disappear. “You can go now. I hope you enjoy the holidays, both of you. I shall stop by at some point as well. Now, off you go!” he said cheerfully. Harry was a bit surprised by the Headmaster’s cheerfulness, to tell the truth.

So, he stepped into the fireplace first and with clear “Number 12, Grimmauld Place”, he disappeared into the green fire.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope you enjoyed! I will try to post more often from now on. Unfortunately, my uni is quite challenging. But I absolutely love writing this so I hope I can find time for it.
> 
> I hope you're all doing well! Stay safe! <3


	26. Tea, biscuits and complicated reunions

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> First day at Grimmauld Place is eventful. Lot of catching up to do, not only for Harry.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello, my lovelies.  
> Another chapter is out, I wanted to post it a bit later (because they say you should always write in advance but I'm not good with that so....). I wanted to give you this when I can.  
> Thank you all for the lovely comments, kudos and support, it means a lot and I am glad you're enjoying this story :)  
> This chapter is quite long and it's only the first day of the holidays, oh boy. But we had a lot to tackle down.  
> So enjoy!
> 
> CW: mild panic attack, discussing death

The moment Harry stepped out of the fireplace in the kitchen of the Grimmauld Place, he was pulled into the tightest hug. Only after a few seconds, he realized it was Sirius. Harry felt a sudden weight lifted from his shoulders. A weight that he wasn’t aware of before. He gripped Sirius as tightly as he could and buried his head in Sirius’s shoulder. He almost didn’t register the Floo behind him going on again and Draco stepping into the room.

“Er … hello,” said Draco, uncharacteristically nervous.

Harry broke free from Sirius, sniffled in the tears that he didn’t notice invaded his eyes and turned back at Draco.

“Draco, this is my godfather Sirius,” said Harry. “Sirius, this is Draco.”

“Pleasure to meet you, sir,” said Draco politely and it made Harry snicker. “Thank you for letting me stay.”

“Sir?” chuckled Sirius. “Your mother is my cousin, Draco. You can call me Sirius.”

“Alright,” nodded Draco sheepishly.

“Is Harry here already?” yelled Remus from upstairs. “His trunk appeared in the hallway.”

“Yes, Moony! They’re here!” Sirius shouted back.

“Well, bring them to the drawing-room! I made tea and biscuits!” shouted Remus.

“We’re coming, Moony!” screamed Sirius, noticeably annoyed.

Draco looked at Harry confusedly and Harry just grinned. This was his normal domestic life and he was somewhat proud that someone got to witness the little madness they had going on.

“Honestly, Harry. I’ve been telling Moony that I refuse to communicate with him by shouting from different parts of the house,” complained Sirius as they were climbing up the stairs. “But he still does it. I feel like we’re this old deaf couple. It’s driving me mad.”

“Moony?” asked Draco, still very confused.

“That’s Remus,” explained Harry. “Prepare to hear a lot of that. And also, Padfoot or Pads for Sirius.”

“Interesting,” nodded Draco but seemed utterly disinterested.

They entered the drawing-room, where, indeed, on the table by the couch were four cups of tea and a plate of biscuits. Harry immediately went to hug Remus.

“It’s good to see you,” chuckled Remus.

“It’s good to see you too,” said Harry into Remus’s chest.

“And Draco,” smiled Remus once Harry let him go. “Welcome. I believe you’ve already visited the Black house before?”

“It’s not the Black house, Remus!” snapped Sirius. “It’s _our_ house now.”

“Yes, Professor,” said Draco. “I’ve been here with my parents when I was little. Before Aunt Walburga died,” he explained and Sirius shuddered at his mother’s name. “It looked very different back then.”

“No need to call me that, Draco,” said Remus kindly. “Just call me Remus. And yes, we’ve managed to change it into a much more pleasant house, I think.”

“Indeed,” nodded Draco.

They all sat down. Sirius and Remus sat together on the sofa, while Harry and Draco sat on the armchairs that were facing each other. Harry could see that Draco was feeling a bit out of the place but he was hiding it quite well. Harry took a biscuit, unsure of what to say.

“I see you stocked on chocolate,” said Harry finally as he chewed the chocolatey biscuit.

“We had to,” chuckled Sirius. “Unfortunately, Moony loves chocolate more than he loves me.”

“Now, that’s just an unnecessary exaggeration, Pads,” said Remus. “… I love you both the same amount,” he chuckled.

“I’ll take it,” sighed Sirius dramatically. “So, no one else is here yet. The Weasleys are coming in the evening when they pick up Ron and Ginny from the train station. The Diggorys are coming in the evening as well when they finish working. Cedric is staying with you Harry, obviously. Amos and Constance are not staying over, however, because someone needs to take care of their animals at home, and even though this house is massive, it has its limits,” Sirius chuckled. “So, they’ll be dropping in and out. See, Charlie is coming from Romania this year too. Plus, Fleur is staying with Bill,” explained Sirius, probably not wanting to make Draco feel like it was because of him that the Diggorys couldn’t stay.

“Alright,” nodded Harry. “Where will Draco be staying?”

“He’ll have a room for himself on the third floor. Next to Fred and George,” explained Sirius. “We thought, it would be for the best. I don’t know how comfortable you are with everyone, Draco.”

“Thank you,” nodded Draco. “That’s very kind of you.”

“But you’ll be next to Fred and George, so don’t expect much peace,” warned Remus.

“Yes, the good thing is that Arthur and Molly are also on the third floor. Although, that never stopped the twins from causing any menace, actually. Otherwise, the arrangements are pretty much the same. Ginny and Hermione are together. Molly was already quite upset that I agreed on Bill and Fleur sharing a room, so I couldn’t let her precious Ron stay with Hermione,” Sirius rolled his eyes. “So, he’s bunking with Charlie. And that’s everyone.”

“Everyone that’s staying over, that is,” said Remus. “There will be plenty of the Order members coming in.”

“Yes. Tonks said that she will bring Andromeda at some point too. She wants to see you, Draco,” said Sirius and Draco, if it was possible, looked even paler.

“Oh. Aunt Andromeda. I haven’t seen her … maybe in ten years … or more,” he said somewhat sadly. “The last time mother and I visited her, cousin Dora and I set the curtains in her living room on fire. We blamed the sun for shining too brightly that day,” he said with a small smile.

“Oh, I’m sure she has forgiven you for that,” winked Sirius. “Plus, knowing Tonks, I’m sure it was mostly her doing.”

“No, it was actually me. I was trying to prove to her that I’m a powerful wizard and I don’t need a wand to do magic,” Draco explained as a matter-of-factly.

“Merlin, I guess you must have also been a piece of work,” chuckled Remus. “You, Sirius and Tonks can all shake hands.”

“Well, Draco is now also the rebel of the Black bloodline,” said Sirius proudly. “There is a few of us but only the best ones!”

“Wait, wasn’t it supposed to be a secret that Draco is staying here?” asked Harry.

“The Order knows, naturally. And you can trust them not to babble it out. If they didn’t fear Dumbledore, Snape made it pretty clear that Draco is under his protection,” explained Remus.

“Alright,” nodded Harry and looked at Draco, who wasn’t giving away anything that he might have been thinking.

“Maybe you boys can go put your trunks in your rooms,” said Remus suddenly. “I think it’s about time we started making lunch. Harry, you can show Draco around.”

Harry and Draco climbed upstairs. Harry showed Draco to his new room and then he showed him his own room on the fourth floor.

“Sirius and Remus are just next to my room. So, if you need anything, we’re just the floor above,” smiled Harry.

“Alright,” nodded Draco. “Er … sorry to be rude … but … er … I-,” stammered Draco.

“Honestly, Malfoy, can you get out a coherent sentence?” chuckled Harry and Draco shot him a stern look.

“Shut up, Potter!” snapped Draco.

“What is it then?”

“It’s nothing, really. It’s just when you said you were living with Lupin and your godfather … I didn’t realise they were together.”

“Is that a problem?” Harry asked, his voice quite stern. “You didn’t have a problem with me before.”

“No! Sorry, I shouldn’t have said anything,” Draco said nervously. “It’s just. Well, I’ve never seen anyone older like this, that’s it.”

“Yeah, so?”

“Er, forget about it, Potter. I shouldn’t have said anything. It’s fine,” Draco rambled. “Don’t think I have a problem with it, because I don’t. I was just … I don’t know, really. So, forget about it.”

Harry has never heard Draco speaking so quickly in his life. In the past few hours, it was the first time Harry actually saw a completely different side of Draco. Sure, when he found him in the bathroom, Draco wasn’t so put together either. But whenever they talked afterwards, Draco seemed to be very aware of his emotions and tried not to show them. Now, however, it was as if he was slightly slipping. It worried Harry a little bit. The new surroundings must have been a bit disorienting for Draco. And there was going to be so many people later. But it was also nice to see that Draco had a vulnerable side.

“Alright,” nodded Harry. “If you want to talk about something, though … er … feel free.”

“Thanks, Potter. I won’t use your offer … but thanks.”

Harry didn’t push it any further. After all, their friendship, if he could call it that, was still fairly new. Harry showed Draco the rest of the house. Draco was the most interested in the collection of books that were in the library. Harry told him that there were even more books in the attic but that there was also a lot of dangerous objects so they weren’t allowed to go there. Draco was a quiet person. He sometimes had some snarky remarks, but overall, he kept to himself. Harry wasn’t sure if it was his normal nature or if he was just feeling distant from the new environment.

Soon it was almost time for lunch. There was a knock on the main door as Draco and Harry were on their way to the kitchen. They looked at each other, unsure about what to do. Sirius and Remus were preparing lunch in the kitchen, so they didn’t hear. After another, a rather forceful knock on the door, Harry decided to open. After all, only the members of the Order could find the house.

“Hello, Harry!” exclaimed George as soon as he opened the door.

“Took you a while,” winked Fred and Harry closed the doors behind them.

Both of the twins were wearing colourful suits, one had a purple one, and the other a red one and each of them was carrying a bag over their shoulder. They looked like proper business owners but they still didn’t lose the amusing energy that was irradiating from them.

“I thought you were coming in the evening,” said Harry, surprised.

“No, we closed the shop early today, couldn’t wait to see the oh mighty Chosen One,” chuckled Fred.

“I hope, we’re not imposing,” said George and eyed Draco strangely.

“Not at all, we were just going to have lunch,” said Harry.

“So, it’s true,” exclaimed Fred as his eyes landed on Draco as well, who shifted his weight on his feet but otherwise didn’t give any indication of any nervousness he might have been feeling.

“I thought they were joking, Freddie,” smiled George.

“Me too, Georgie, me too.”

“But here he is.”

“More real than Father Christmas,” chuckled Fred. “And paler than snow,” he inspected Draco’s face a bit too closely.

“Be nice!” warned Harry. “Draco is as welcome here as you two.”

“Thanks, Potter, but I’m sure there is no need for that,” said Draco at last, his eyes flickering between Fred and George.

“See, no worries, Harry,” grinned George.

“I’m sure we’ll be the best of pals,” joked Fred and ruffled Draco’s perfectly combed silky hair.

“I would not do that if I were you, Weasley,” warned Draco and pushed Fred away, who only snickered to himself.

Harry just rolled his eyes and led everyone to the kitchen. He was sure that this holiday was going to be quite eventful. It was obvious that the twins were far from finished with teasing Draco. But Draco didn’t seem like a person that would let himself be teased. This was going to get indeed interesting. Harry just hoped that there was no serious incident. They eventually entered the kitchen, where Sirius and Remus were just finishing with the cooking.

“Ah, Fred, George,” smiled Remus. “I thought I heard voices. Come sit down.”

“Sorry for imposing on your lunch but the shop was quite empty and we were bored,” said George as they sat down.

“Business is going well, though, I hope?” asked Sirius.

“Yeah, when the kids are in Hogwarts, however, we mostly operate by mail,” explained George.

“People still do come in, especially now around Christmas,” added Fred. “But Diagon’s been pretty empty recently,” he said gloomily.

They started eating. Draco was silent and if it wasn’t for the occasional chewing sounds that he was making, Harry wouldn’t even know that he was there.

“Do you know anything about Cedric’s shop?” Harry asked the twins eventually.

“It’s alright,” shrugged George. “At least, it seems to be holding on,” he looked at Fred uncertainly.

“Yeah,” nodded Fred. “There were no incidents, so don’t worry,” he smiled at Harry.

The reaction was a bit out of character for the twins and Harry wasn’t sure what to think. He stared at them for a while and only returned to his food when Fred winked at him.

“So, how have you two been?” asked Remus with an uncomfortable cough. “Molly told us excitedly that you have a girlfriend, George?”

“I don’t!” snapped George, uncharacteristically angry. “Fred is just a huge blabbermouth and will do anything to distract our mother from his own love life!”

Remus and Sirius exchanged an amused look. Harry chuckled to himself as well but Draco was still utterly quiet and very interested in his potatoes.

“I only said that Angelina has been noticeably more interested in our shop lately,” Fred shot back. “It’s not my fault that it got misinterpreted.”

“You just happened to mention it, oh so conveniently, when Mom started lecturing you on that club you’re going to,” said George and threw a piece of cooked potato on Fred.

“She wouldn’t have lectured me if you didn’t tell her about it in the first place!” shot Fred and threw some peas on George. “So, it’s really your own fault!”

“Alright! Settle down,” called Remus amusedly. “If you want to waste food, do it with your own.”

“Sorry,” the twins apologized in unison and returned to their food, completely silent.

“What club is that Fred?” asked Sirius, breaking the sudden silence.

“It’s nothing!” said Fred and warningly looked at George.

“Nothing?” Sirius raised an eyebrow. “I hope you’re not visiting one of those muggle wizard clubs. That’s really dangerous in this day and age,” he eyed Fred, who was suddenly very interested in his food.

“Muggle wizard clubs?” asked Harry.

“They’re these clubs for both muggles and wizards,” explained Remus. “They’re supposed to be inclusive of everyone and want to promote muggle-wizard interactions. If it wasn’t so dangerous, it would be actually quite a nice idea.”

“Well … I think a lot of people that go to these clubs imagine different things under the word ‘interaction’,” chuckled Sirius mischievously.

“Yes. So, I’m sure, our dear Fred is much smarter than to go to places like this,” said Remus sternly and pierced Fred with his look.

Fred didn’t say anything and just ate his food. Harry studied him for a while. It was strange, the twins were both usually so jovial, always shooting jokes at everyone. Now, Fred’s expression almost mimicked Draco’s, who was still very silent and emotionless.

“But I thought muggles weren’t supposed to know about wizards,” said Harry.

“Yes,” nodded Remus. “But see, there are people that think nothing good comes from secluding communities. So, they try to change that.”

“Well, I’m sure you have a lot of catching up to do,” exclaimed Sirius as everyone finished eating. “So, why don’t you go do that. Dinner will be a bit later when everyone else arrives. Harry, could you come to talk to us before that, we won’t hold you for long, don’t worry,” he smiled.

“Of course,” nodded Harry. “Do you need help with cleaning up?”

“No, Harry,” chuckled Sirius. “All summer we’ve been telling you that you don’t need to do that anymore and you still ask anyway.”

Harry slightly blushed as the twins snickered. They then walked out of the kitchen, Draco was following Harry like a lost puppy, which earned him a few strange looks from the twins. They walked to the third floor, to the twins’ room, where they put their bags.

“Are you really going to these clubs, Fred?” asked Harry worriedly.

“I’m just having some fun, that’s all,” shrugged Fred. “I’m not doing anything wrong. And I went only like two times.”

“Any other time it would be fine, Fred,” said George. “But now, it’s the stupidest idea!”

“Hey, you already told our Mom about it, you made your point, alright!” snapped Fred and George looked frustrated.

“These clubs are as dangerous as a Knockturn Alley is for an eleven-year-old Muggleborn,” said Draco suddenly. “I heard Aunt Bella saying once that it would be a good place for her to play. But then, anywhere is a good place for her to play,” he shrugged.

They all turned to him in shock. Draco was standing in the doorway, his arms folded at his chest, his face still composed. They almost forgot he was there.

“Hmm. I guess I might have lost it,” said Fred starting to search himself. “No, I really can’t find it anywhere.”

“What are you looking for, Freddie?” asked George.

“Oh, you know, just where I asked for Malfoy’s opinion,” said Fred, and George chuckled.

“Right,” nodded Draco. “Suit yourself, Weasley. I won’t bother you anymore,” he said and left.

“Guys,” Harry rolled his eyes. “Could you at least try with him?”

“Hey, if he can’t handle a bit of healthy poking, then that’s his own fault,” said George as he closed the doors behind Harry.

“What’s wrong with him anyway?” asked Fred and sat down on his bed. “They just told us he switched sides and that’s it. No details.”

“It’s complicated,” sighed Harry. “It’s not my story to tell anyway.”

“So, what you’re like friends now?” asked George and came to sit down on his own bed.

Harry was deciding if he should go check on Draco but thought that maybe the boy wanted to be alone for a bit. So, he looked at the twins and was deciding where to sit down. Then he decided to sit down next to Fred, which earned him a triumphant grin.

“He’s not that bad,” shrugged Harry eventually. “He apologized to both Ron and Hermione. They don’t mind him now either.”

“Ugh,” sighed Fred. “Do we really need other friends, Georgie?”

“I don’t,” said George. “I’m perfectly satisfied with what I have.”

“You don’t need to be friends. Just don’t act like prats,” said Harry and eyed both of the twins.

“We’ll try,” promised Fred.

“Yeah, but if he acts like a prat himself, we might just not try hard enough,” said George and Harry immediately thought of fifth-year Quidditch, when George punched Draco for insulting Mrs Weasley. The image was still slightly amusing.

“Well, it’s good he left now,” said Fred. “We wanted to discuss something with you.”

“Yes,” George coughed nervously. “It’s about Cedric.”

“What? Is he okay? Did something happen?” Harry asked quickly, filled with sudden worry.

“Nothing happened,” Fred assured him and put a hand on his shoulder to calm him down. “He’s perfectly safe and fine.”

“Then what is it?” asked Harry.

“Well,” started George. “We just worry about him. Usually, we would see him maybe twice a week during his lunch break. Sometimes during the weekend, he would stop by our flat and we hung out together.”

“Yes, but lately he would decline our lunch invitations, saying that he was far too busy in the shop,” continued Fred. “Which we thought was fair enough. But still, we hoped we would see him over the weekend.”

“But no. He would always say that he needed to help out his parents,” said George. “And whenever we would stop in _Plantorium_ to at least say hello, he was just … odd.”

“That doesn’t sound like he’s safe and fine,” said Harry, playing nervously with the hem of his shirt.

“He just looked like he was not really taking good care of himself,” explained Fred. “He was thinner, very pale, twitchy, and looked like he hasn’t slept properly in ages.”

“When we tried to talk to him in the shop, he would always smile and act like his usual self,” continued George. “But always excused himself quite quickly, saying that he has a lot to do.”

“Yes,” nodded Fred. “So, we decided to investigate. We wrote to his mom and she told us to meet her one day when Cedric was at work.”

“So, we did,” said George. “And she told us that she herself worries about him. That this is an ongoing issue in the Diggory family.”

“Yes, so apparently his condition was getting worse since all these attacks were happening,” said Fred. “We were not aware that he had any condition, to tell you the truth.”

“It’s the graveyard,” said Harry weakly. “Ever since then … he … well, he sort of died there. And came back. Ever since then … he … he’s been able to sense people’s emotions and hear some sort of whispers. They were more like murmurs that didn’t really make sense. It was getting better … at least he told me. But last time he mentioned it’s been getting worse again.”

“Yes, Mrs Diggory told us that much too,” George carried on. “She thinks it’s because there’s more dark magic around,” he said gloomily.

“So, Mrs Diggory said that most of the time he seems like he’s somewhere else in his mind. Sometimes, he’d be his normal self, and apparently, he’s gotten really good in pretending everything is fine,” explained Fred, “but there would be just moments, where he’s just so lost in his thoughts, and he’s constantly nervous as if he was about to be attacked by someone any moment. She was proper upset about it.”

It was silent for a while. Harry was trying not to seem too upset, holding the tears back. He suspected something was going on with Cedric but he never dared to think it would be this bad. But of course, it was, and of course, he wouldn’t tell him and of course, Harry could do nothing about it. He was stuck in Hogwarts most of the time and there was no way for him to know what was going on with Cedric. If Cedric decided not to tell him, there was just no other way he could know. He couldn’t even know Cedric was telling him the truth.

“There’s another thing,” whispered George tentatively, noticing Harry spiralling in his thoughts. “Do you remember Cedric’s friend Ryan?”

“Yes,” Harry nodded, remembering the happy-go-lucky Hufflepuff, who always accompanied Cedric in Hogwarts. He knew that Cedric was still friends with him now, he used to mention him quite a bit, but then he stopped.

“He disappeared,” said Fred gravely. “Mrs Diggory told us; we had no idea. Ryan’s father was a Muggleborn and they found him dead in their house. It was brutal. His mother is a muggle and apparently, she went a bit mad afterwards. The Order helped to put her in a safe place but Ryan was gone. No one has seen him. He must have run away to protect his mom but no one knows what happened to him.”

“Mrs Diggory said that Cedric’s condition got even worse after that,” continued George. “She seems to think he’s been trying to find out anything about Ryan whenever he could.”

This was bad. This was so bad. Harry could feel the pressure of the war pushing on him. He almost forgot about it, blissfully enjoying his time at Hogwarts. He felt so stupid and guilty about ignoring the outside world. Cedric was out there, dealing with everything on his own. Being in danger. This could soon happen to his family too. Sure, Cedric was from a wizarding family, but he was associated with Harry. It was only a matter of time before something happened. Harry’s mind was going through a very dangerous rabbit-hole and he didn’t even realise he was hyperventilating. Suddenly, George was crouching in front of him, saying something incoherent. _When did he move here?_ Harry thought. Fred was holding his hand and Harry couldn’t remember when he took it. They were both saying something but Harry couldn’t hear. _Why are they so quiet?_ he kept thinking. All he could picture in his head were images of dead people.

“Harry, Harry,” George shook him slightly and Harry could finally hear him.

“Hey, it’s going to be okay,” Fred was trying to reassure him. “He’s not hurt, he’s just … going through some stuff. I’m sure you’ll deal with it together.”

“Yeah,” nodded Harry but even to his own ears he didn’t sound convinced. “I think … I’ll go to my room … I need to be alone for a bit … sorry,” he rambled out and stood up.

“Are you sure, Harry?” asked Fred worryingly. “Do you want us to call Sirius or Remus?”

“No, no, I’ll … I’ll talk to them later anyway,” said Harry. “It’s okay … I just need to think.”

With that, Harry left and closed himself in his room. Fred and George exchanged worried looks but didn’t follow him. After a while, Draco appeared in the hallway, peering into their room, to which Harry left the door opened.

“Is Potter alright?” he asked.

“What is it to you?” smirked Fred but George nudged him.

“Well … nothing, I guess. He just seemed quite upset when he passed my room on his way upstairs,” explained Draco. “I was just wondering, that’s all.”

“He’ll be okay,” said George calmly. “He just needed some space.”

“What did you tell him?”

“That’s really none of your business, Malfoy,” shot Fred but Draco didn’t flinch.

“Alright, stop being so bloody protective, Weasley!” sneered Draco. “It’s not like I’m going to run straight to the Dark Lord with that information.”

“Well, we can never know that can we?” challenged Fred. “Harry trusts you for some reason, but that doesn’t mean we have to.”

“I wouldn’t exactly say that Potter trusts me,” shrugged Malfoy. “But alright. Whatever. Keep your secrets, Weasley.”

“We can keep our secrets and you can keep yours, how about that, Malfoy?” smiled George and left to go to the bathroom.

“Or, we can trade,” suggested Fred. “A secret for a secret.”

“Piss off,” scoffed Draco and turned to leave but stopped. “You know what, _Fred_ ,” he said, rolling Fred’s name on his tongue in a somewhat malicious way. “Maybe you should consider that while your whole family is here protected by your precious little Order, I’m here alone. And if you really try hard and use your pea-sized brain, you’ll realize that I’m not actually in the best position here. Go play with some muggles instead, why don’t you,” he snapped and left just as George returned.

“What happened?” he asked, looking after Draco.

“He knows how to play,” smirked Fred. “Do you think he remembered that you’re wearing a purple suit and I’m wearing a red one?”

“Why?” asked George.

“He could tell I was me,” shrugged Fred.

“He must have then,” said George easily. “Not even Mom can tell us apart, even when we wear different clothes. But also, you have to admit, that I was nicer to him, so maybe that’s why he could tell it was you.”

“I guess,” said Fred, not really bothered.

Harry stayed in his room for a while. He was going through his photo album, trying to keep himself occupied and calm down. He had to talk to Cedric tonight. He decided that he was going to wait for Cedric to tell him everything himself because maybe that was the reason, he hasn’t said anything so far. Maybe he wanted to tell him in person. And if Cedric doesn’t say anything then Harry will have to talk to him and tell him he knows. They’ll have to find a solution together.

After some time, Harry was calm enough and decided he had to talk to Sirius and Remus. So, he left his room and knocked on their bedroom.

“Come in,” he heard Remus’s voice behind the door.

He walked in. Remus was sitting on the sofa with a book in his hand. Sirius was lying in his lap and it seemed that Remus was reading it out loud.

“Hi, pup,” smiled Sirius and sat down properly. “The twins said you were upset, are you alright?”

“Er … I’m fine now,” Harry assured them and sat down. He then told them everything the twins told him before.

“I see,” nodded Remus. “We heard about Ryan’s family … the Bradleys. Mrs Bradley stayed here for a while, actually. Grimmauld Place has been used as a safe house several times over the past few months. She stayed here only for a few days before they found a better location for her.”

“She was …,” continued Sirius. “A bit mad, to be honest. She kept rambling about her son. That she needs to make him dinner. That he will come for dinner. But no one has seen him.”

“Hm,” nodded Harry. “Who else stayed here?”

“No one you’d know,” said Remus. “Or … the Abbotts were here actually. Also, only for a few days. Now, they’re somewhere else. Hannah was telling us how much she enjoyed the DA with you last year,” he smiled. “Nice girl, she was handling it well.”

“Good,” said Harry sadly. “What was it that you wanted to tell me then?”

“Ah! That will cheer you up, I believe!” said Sirius very happily. “Moony, do you want to take this one?”

“I guess,” replied Remus nervously. “Harry, you know that Sirius is your godfather. Therefore, he is legally your guardian. However, this is a bit complicated since he is a wanted criminal and all that. So, technically, if something was to happen, the Ministry could send you back to the Dursleys. You are seventeen soon but still.”

“But they didn’t care where I stayed ever,” said Harry.

“Yes,” nodded Sirius. “But that’s only thanks to Dumbledore. Otherwise, the magical social services would snoop into where you were staying and with who. Obviously, the Ministry understands that your location needs to be kept secret but still. Dumbledore is not going to be around forever.”

“Exactly. So, we thought it would be for the best if I legally adopted you,” smiled Remus.

“What? Are you serious?” grinned Harry in disbelief.

“Sirius, you shut up now!” snapped Remus as Sirius was opening his mouth to say something along the lines ‘no, actually, I am Sirius’. “Obviously, I didn’t think it would be possible. That the Ministry wouldn’t let you be adopted by a werewolf. But luckily, Dumbledore felt like he owed us and also, he sensed that if something happened to him now, you needed protection. So, he helped us out. Put a word in for me and now it’s official,” he smiled and handed Harry an envelope. Harry opened it.

_Ministry of Magic_

_Social Services_

_10 December 1996_

_We hereby confirm Mr Remus John Lupin, born 10 March 1960, has been guaranteed as a safe individual by Professor Albus Percival Wulfric Brian Dumbledore and is from this day now on, the legal guardian of Harry James Potter, born 31 July 1980. This decision has been made on the account of Mr Lupin being a close friend to the Potter family and on the account of no living wizarding relatives of Harry James Potter._

_Signed Blythe Emilia Locke_

_Head of Social Services_

_Department of Magical Law Enforcement_

_Ministry of Magic_

Harry looked at Remus in disbelief, happy tears stinging in his eyes.

“I realised we should’ve asked you,” rambled out Remus nervously. “This was a huge decision to make without asking you. There are all the documents in the folder on Sirius’s bedside table. If you’d rather I wasn’t your guardian, then we can tell the Ministry.”

“No! This is brilliant!” Harry grinned and squeezed himself between Sirius and Remus on the sofa. “Thank you! I don’t know what to say.”

“Well,” smiled Sirius. “We realise that we’re nowhere near being your parents, and this was the only way for Remus to be legally part of your life without marrying me,” he chuckled, “but I think we make a pretty damn good family in our mad sort of way.”

“I think of you as my parents,” said Harry quietly and Remus and Sirius exchanged surprised looks. “I know Mom and Dad were great and no one can replace them. But I never really knew them. It does make me sad sometimes but I’m not really sure how to miss them. I think they wouldn’t be upset by me saying this. I really do think of both of you as my dads … and I’m glad it’s official.”

“Oh, Harry,” Remus breathed out and squeezed Harry’s shoulder. “We couldn’t wish for a better son,” he hugged him tightly. “You made Sirius cry,” he chuckled.

“I’m not crying!” sniffled Sirius. “It’s just my eyes … oh … fuck it,” he laughed and joined in on the hug.

Harry was letting the happy tears fall. He felt warm and he was sure his parents would be happy for him. They would be happy that he had a loving family. They would be happy that even in the dark times, there were moments of light for his family.

“Right,” he sniffled once he was released. “What is it about Remus going away for full moon then?” he asked and Sirius’s face darkened. “Sorry, to ruin the moment,” he added.

“We had information that there was going to be quite a huge pack of werewolves outside of London,” explained Remus. “I think me agreeing on this was one of the reasons Dumbledore felt that he needed to help us with the adoption forms.”

“It’s an incredibly stupid idea!” scoffed Sirius.

“I think, it’s actually quite a good idea,” said Remus. “The werewolves that are supposed to be there are the ones that I feel can be persuaded to join us. Me going there during Christmas just shows my dedication to them and they will be able to trust me.”

“It will make you an easy target,” shot Sirius.

“It will be alright, Pads,” assured Remus. “I will leave on Monday, the day before the full moon. And I will come back the morning after the full moon, on Christmas day.”

“I don’t like it,” said Harry. “But you’ll be careful, right?”

“It’s decided already,” Remus replied. “And of course, I’ll be careful. There will be so many people in the house, you’ll barely miss me.”

“On the contrary. I’m afraid what the house will become without your supervision,” Harry pointed out with a smile.

“It’s not the first time I’m doing this,” reminded Remus.

“Doesn’t make it any easier,” scoffed Sirius. “So, you better come back in one piece.”

“I will,” smiled Remus and reached over Harry to pat Sirius on his shoulder.

“Alright, now this is out of the way,” said Sirius. “I think we ought to start making dinner. I imagine people will be arriving soon.”

“I’ll better go check on Draco and the twins,” said Harry as they all got up.

While Sirius and Remus walked down to the kitchen to start preparing dinner, Harry went down a floor. He could hear Fred and George laughing about something in their room. The door to Draco’s room was open and he could see him sitting on his bed, his back leaning on the wall, and he was reading a book. He looked peaceful and Harry almost didn’t want to disturb him. He tentatively knocked on the doorframe and Draco looked up, his expression didn’t change.

“Potter,” he said. “You’re feeling better?”

“Er … yeah,” nodded Harry. “I suppose the others will arrive soon, so I wanted to check on you.”

“Don’t worry, Potter, I already quite know what to expect, the twins were quite clear.”

“Oh, were they mean to you?” asked Harry, concerned.

“It’s alright!” Draco assured him. “Nothing I can’t handle. Plus, my presence is not exactly easy for them either.”

“Still,” said Harry. “Even though you’re a prat, I want you to feel good here.”

“Thanks, Potter,” Draco smirked. “It’s alright. Cousin Dora is coming so I can hang out with her. Plus, Severus will drop by at some point. If worse comes to worst, I’ll hang out with you, Granger and Weasley.”

“Sure,” chuckled Harry. “You should really call the Weasleys at least by their first names, there will be a lot of them.”

“I’ll think about it.”

Soon, they heard the Floo in the kitchen going off, so Harry went downstairs. Draco decided to stay in his room until dinner started to give everyone some space, even though Harry assured him that he was welcome to go with him. Harry walked downstairs to greet whoever was coming. As suspected, it was the rest of the Weasleys. Mrs Weasley gave him a tight motherly hug and Mr Weasley patted him on his back. Just after them, Bill and Fleur followed, Fleur kissed both of Harry’s cheeks and Bill gave him a quick hug. After them, it was Charlie, who Harry only met in his fourth year briefly, so he didn’t really know him that well. But he heard a lot about him from Ron, who seemed to look up to Charlie a lot. Then, Ron and Ginny followed.

“I missed you on the train, mate,” said Ron as he hugged Harry to greet him.

“Please,” Ginny rolled her eyes. “He and Hermione disappeared for half of the train ride.”

“We were doing prefect duty!” Ron defended himself.

“Of course, you were, Ronnie-wonnie,” smirked Ginny.

“Ginny, leave your poor brother alone,” said Mrs Weasley. “At least we all know and love Hermione, I can’t say that for anyone you’ve been dating lately. Which reminds me, who is it now?”

“Why don’t you ask Fred and George, they seem to know more about my life than me,” snapped Ginny.

“Oi, that’s quite rude,” said George as the twins suddenly appeared with a crack in the kitchen, which startles Mrs Weasley. “We’re not snitches!”

“Plus, our lives are far more interesting! We don’t need to share school gossip with Mom,” added Fred.

“Oh, is it so wrong for a mother to be interested in her children?” sighed Mrs Weasley. “You go unpack and come back for dinner; I am tired with you already!” she rolled her eyes.

“Now, now, Molly, all our children just have strong personalities,” smiled Mr Weasley as everyone was slowly vacating the kitchen.

“I know,” she nodded. “Remus, Sirius, you have no idea how good you have it with just one teenager.”

“Actually, Molly, I think it’s me with two teenagers,” chuckled Remus and Sirius just nudged him playfully.

“True,” she laughed. “Well, let me help you with dinner. Thank you again for having us all here this holiday.”

“It’s our pleasure, Molly, honestly,” smiled Sirius.

Harry climbed upstairs with the others and as everyone left to their respective rooms to unpack, he followed Ron to his and Charlie’s room. Charlie was a tranquil person, but to Harry, they seemed unexceptionally kind. He was sure that Ron was glad that out of all of his siblings he got to share a room with Charlie now. Charlie was the type of person who always seemed to have a smile on their face, and based on their fascination and work with dragons they had infinite patience and courage. Harry sat down on Ron’s bed as his friend started unpacking also. As Charlie unpacked, they got a miniature dragon out of their jacket. It was very similar to one of those that Harry took out from the bag in the first task of the Triwizard Tournament.

“Is that Harold?” asked Ron as the small green dragon kept walking on Charlie’s fingers.

“Yes!” smiled Charlie. “He’s a Welsh green dragon. Well … a miniature. See, some wizard thought it was a good idea to charm his mother into a small dragon. But the spell went wrong and it was irreversible. She laid eggs, all of them tiny. Only Harold made it, though. So, now, he’s my little friend,” they explained.

“Wicked!” said Ron, fascinated.

“That’s quite sad, though,” said Harry.

“Yes, some people think they can have dragons as pets. But dragons are not pets. They can be your friends, though, if you try well enough,” explained Charlie.

While Charlie was occupied with Harold, Harry told Ron about the development of the day, about the twins’ interaction with Draco, what they told him about Cedric and then finally the good news about Remus adopting him.

“That’s brilliant, mate!” smiled Ron. “Not about Cedric, though. What are you going to do?”

“I’ll see what happens tonight. And I’ll ask him if he wants to talk about it. It’s really hard, I practically haven’t seen him since October, when he came to Hogsmeade.”

“Yeah,” nodded Ron. “You’ll figure it out. Hermione and I are always here for you too, you know.”

“I know,” smiled Harry. “I just hope he’s okay.”

“Me too, mate,” said Ron sympathetically. “He should be here soon anyway, right?”

“I think so,” nodded Harry.

“Can’t blame Fred and George for messing with Malfoy, you know. We at least got to hang out with him in Hogwarts now but for them, it’s quite sudden. I’m sure with so many people here, though, they’ll have others to bother.”

Harry silently hoped for that. They talked for a while after that until they heard the Floo in the kitchen again. Harry practically sprinted downstairs and almost tripped and fell down the stairs to the kitchen. As he was nearing the kitchen, he could hear the Diggorys talking to Mrs and Mr Weasley, and Sirius and Remus. His heart skipped a beat and he entered the kitchen. Cedric was standing there with his parents, smiling at the others. He, indeed, looked thinner and his eyes looked tired and worried. Although he was smiling, he seemed sad to Harry. He was wearing a very colourful hoodie that Harry suspected was another part of his work attire. His hands were hidden in the front pocket of the hoodie.

“Oh, Harry, it’s so good to see you!” smiled Mrs Diggory and went to hug him tightly.

“Hello, Harry!” said Mr Diggory kindly and shook Harry’s hand.

Harry smiled at both of them but he never stopped paying attention to Cedric, who stood behind them now, looking rather timid.

“Hi,” said Harry.

“Hi,” repeated Cedric.

Mr and Mrs Diggory looked between them and then went back to the Weasleys and Sirius and Remus.

“Pup, dinner will be in half an hour, so could you retrieve everyone by then?” asked Sirius.

“Sure,” nodded Harry. “Come on, you need to unpack,” he said and Cedric silently followed him upstairs.

It was strange, Harry could feel it. Something was hanging between them. Or not really between them, just around Cedric. And Harry wasn’t sure what was the right thing to do. As they walked upstairs, none of them said a word. They could hear Ron and Charlie talking as they passed their room, Ginny laughing with Fred and George, and as they passed Draco’s room, the boy had his door open and was still reading. They walked into Harry’s room and Cedric put his bag on the armchair in the corner of the room. Harry closed the door and wasn’t sure what to do.

“Cedric, I-,” he started but the other boy marched towards him and pulled him into a tight hug. Harry could feel himself being slightly lifted off the ground, only the tips of his toes touching it. Cedric buried his head into the crook of Harry’s neck, he planted a small kiss there, which made Harry shiver down his spine. They stayed like this for several minutes, neither of them saying anything. Harry was taken aback and could feel his heart aching from this a little.

“It’s okay,” whispered Harry as Cedric clung to him still. He wasn’t sure what _it_ was that was okay, but it felt like the right thing to say.

“I’m sorry,” murmured Cedric into the skin on Harry’s neck.

“Hey, it’s okay,” said Harry again.

Cedric finally let him go, and Harry was once again standing fully on the ground. He wasn’t quite sure what to do or say and he cursed himself internally for being so bad at feelings and comforting people. Cedric caressed his cheek and then slowly kissed him. There was no urgency in that kiss, just some kind of desperation but also comfort. After the kiss ended Cedric rested his forehead on Harry’s and kept his eyes closed.

“We should …,” whispered Harry, “… we should … er … get everyone … er … dinner.”

“Yeah,” said Cedric with an amused smile but neither of them moved.

“Do you … er … want to talk about it?” Harry rasped out and Cedric suddenly pulled away. He looked at him somewhat scared, he reminded Harry of a frightened shy deer.

“No … not today,” he said finally. “Can we … not talk about it tonight, please?” he asked desperately.

“Okay,” nodded Harry tentatively and Cedric came closer again and kissed his forehead.

“I’m sorry,” he said.

“No,” Harry shook his head and took Cedric’s hand in his own. “Don’t be. Let’s just go eat, yeah?”

“Okay,” nodded Cedric and with that, they walked out of the room.

On their way downstairs, they knocked on everyone else to come to eat as well. They were eating in the dining room on the ground floor, as there was a much bigger table. However, they were still very much squeezed closely together. Harry was only wondering how it will look when other people, like Tonks or Andromeda, will come as well.

Dinner was a lively affair. Harry noticed that Cedric only helped himself to a small amount of food, so he slipped him some from the large portion he received when Cedric wasn’t looking. Cedric was squeezing Harry’s knee under the table, as if for his own support. On the other side of Harry, Draco was sitting. He was quiet and no one really paid him any attention. Mrs and Mr Weasley greeted him quite warmly when he arrived downstairs, which made Harry hopeful about the upcoming days. Sitting next to Draco was Ron, probably the only other person, aside from Harry that Draco felt safe around in the house, and he was wolfing down his dinner.

“No one is going to steal your food, Weasley,” smirked Draco eventually at Ron’s anticks.

“Well, you’re sitting next to him, so can’t blame him really,” said one of the twins sitting opposite of Draco.

“I bet living with you, _Fred_ , has trained him well enough for any malicious intentions from people around him,” Draco shot back and slightly kicked Fred under the table.

“Oi, stop the abuse, you two,” chuckled George.

“He kicked me!” snapped Fred. “I’m sure that’s a hate crime.”

“I wouldn’t call it a crime but it was certainly out of hate,” said Draco.

Charlie, who was sitting between Ron and the twins, at the end of the table, just confusedly looked between them.

“Who is this guy and why do they hate him?” they asked Ron eventually, but Ron’s mouth was too full to reply.

“I’m Draco Malfoy,” said Draco. “I’m a Death Eater. Nice to meet you,” he smirked.

“Ah, cheers, mate,” said Charlie, “I’m Charlie.”

Fred started laughing at that exchange, which made George chuckle too.

“Bunch of children, honestly,” sighed Ginny next to them. “I hope Tonks will come before Hermione, I don’t know what am I going to do with myself until then with all you lot here.”

“You can hang out with Fleur,” chuckled Fred.

Fleur was sitting with Bill at the other side of the table, with the adults, as Harry decided to divide it in his head. Harry actually like Fleur quite a bit and didn’t understand the dislike she earned from the members of the Weasley family.

“She’s not that bad,” commented Charlie. “Don’t know what you guys on about.”

“Ah, sweet Charlie, always on Bill’s side,” sighed Fred.

“We get it, you’re proud to be Bill’s best person!” chuckled George.

“If you guys just put effort into getting to actually know her instead of making fun of her, then you’d find out she’s quite cool,” Charlie pointed out.

“Best person?” asked Draco.

“Oh, Fleur and Bill are getting married,” explained Ron while chewing his chicken.

“Well, I gathered that,” said Draco. “I just thought it was best man,” he whispered.

“Oh. Charlie’s not a man,” said Ron.

“Ah,” nodded Draco.

“Is that a problem, Malfoy?” Fred challenged him, even though Draco thought he was being quiet about his question.

“No, of course not!” he said quickly.

“Leave him, Fred. He’s alright,” smiled Charlie. “It’s okay, Draco, don’t worry.”

Draco shot Fred a triumphant grinned, feeling proud of himself for being approved by Charlie, and Fred only rolled his eyes at him with a slight chuckle.

After everyone finished eating, they all stayed there for quite a while, talking to each other. Harry noticed that Cedric was very quiet, staring into nothingness, looking exceptionally tired. His hand was still on Harry’s knee, so he put his hand on Cedric’s and intertwined their fingers. That seemed to break the daze Cedric was in and he looked down at their hands, smiled, brought them to his mouth and kissed over Harry’s knuckles.

When it was getting rather late, they all slowly started retrieving to the bedrooms. Cedric’s parents were returning home by the Floo. Before they did, however, Mrs Diggory pulled Harry into another tight hug.

“You keep an eye on him,” she whispered into Harry’s ear and Harry nodded fiercely.

After that, she hugged Cedric as well and kissed his cheek. Then Mr Diggory patted Cedric on the back and shook Harry’s hand again. With that, they left.

While Cedric went to take a shower, Harry wanted to check on Draco but couldn’t find him in his room. Thinking that he probably went to shower as well, he went to bid goodnight to Sirius and Remus. He waited for Cedric to leave the bathroom, then he also took a shower. When he returned to his bedroom, Cedric was already in bed and seemed to be asleep. Harry sighed, tried to ignore the ache in his heart he felt at the sight, closed the door and climbed into the bed next to Cedric.

“You smell nice,” murmured Cedric sleepily and pushed Harry into his arms.

“I thought you were asleep.”

“Almost,” said Cedric and kissed Harry’s temple.

Harry was slowly caressing Cedric’s arm that was enveloping him and listened to the breathing of the other boy. He felt strange. His heart was aching as if screaming _I love you, I love you, I love you_. But he felt as if something was slipping between his fingers, it was there and he couldn’t grab it. He just wasn’t sure what it was. He could feel Cedric’s breathing evening out, as the other boy fell quickly asleep, and only then he allowed himself to close his eyes as well.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope you liked this chapter because I really enjoyed writing it!
> 
> Also, I'm glad I could write Charlie a little bit here, I see them as ace and non-binary, and we all can agree that the series needs more representation. Charlie deserves to be there more and I hope I can write them in more but I also don't want to write them wrong, you know. So, now, we get them only a little bit, I hope that's okay!
> 
> Happy for Harry to be officially adopted! whee!
> 
> Also, I know we didn't get a lot of Cedric in the past chapters and not really now either, so bear with me here. 
> 
> I am currently writing my thesis for uni so if I don't update in a while that's why, sorry! (I will try though)
> 
> Also, a note, this fanfic is now 400 a4 pages long. I never thought I could write something this long. And we're far from the end.
> 
> Love you all, stay safe ❤
> 
> This is the map of Grimmauld Place I've been using https://i.pinimg.com/originals/85/aa/83/85aa83f14f3f686ff2d9d4ac662d61bb.jpg

**Author's Note:**

> If you got to the end, please let me know what you think :)
> 
> (So I do edit after myself and read it several times but I apologise if there are still some mistakes. I noticed that often some words are missing last letters and stuff, I do have a slight adhd and also my keyboard is rubbish. So even when I throw the text into a grammarly, it doesn't detect everything and I also often don't see it, doesn't matter how many times I read it after myself. Just letting you know. Sorry about that and thanks for understanding) :)


End file.
